EXCHANGE 


SAADIA'S  POLEMIC  AGAINST 
HIWI  AL-BALKHI 


1        '    «     '    ,e    t 

C   f  '       C ,'     €      , 


T-S. 8. J. so 


2>*s*h  6)<>»n >>  jtv^*t)f»  *t}>pyv* x'XT*6»j} xttan 
1&&ixi'J>*ft>?x»>i+  &fpfl/M  t&W&JtrMjV  £  'HUP*) 

%^/^;  yiy -> j  *tt%*2k Ask* * *h  ;  *  fc>  AiAjAW* A**»    ' 


TEXTS  AND  STUDIES  OF  THE 
JEWISH  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  OF  AMERICA 

VOL.  V 


SAADIA'S  POLEMIC  AGAINST 
HIWI  AL-BALKHI 

A  FRAGMENT  EDITED  FROM  A  GENIZAH  MS 


ISRAEL  DAVIDSON 

Associate  Professor  of  Mediaeval  Hebreiv  Literature 
Jewish  Theological  Seminary  of  America 


NEW  YORK 

THE  JEWISH  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  OF  AMERICA 

1915 


Bmsss 

l°7fs 


Composed  and  Printed  By 

The  University  of  Chicago  Press 

Chicago,  Illinois,  U.S.A. 


■hti 

b"i  Tpoaarobp    Diran  banar  "i 

■mVu  mnb  nus: 

a  TW  tnnb  Crai  mw  'a  ot 

p"sb  nnn  ro» 


347810 


PREFACE 

In  the  summer  of  19 14  it  was  my  good  fortune 
to  spend  a  few  weeks  in  that  ancient  seat  of  learning 
which  is  now  the  domicile  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
Cairo  Genizah.  Through  the  kind  introduction  of 
Dr.  Schechter,  the  authorities  of  the  Cambridge 
University  Library  extended  to  me  the  rare  privilege 
of  examining  every  part  of  the  Genizah  collection, 
and  among  the  numerous  fragments  which  had 
remained  unclassified  until  then  I  discovered  the 
important  document  presented  here  for  the  first 
time. 

It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  have  this  opportunity  of 
publicly  acknowledging  my  indebtedness  to  Dr. 
Schechter  for  his  kindly  interest  and  encourage- 
ment in  my  work.  I  further  wish  to  express  my 
thanks  to  Dr.  Francis  Jenkinson,  the  Librarian,  and 
Mr.  H.  G.  Aldis,  the  Secretary  of  the  University 
Library,  for  their  courtesy  in  unreservedly  placing 
before  me  the  entire  collection  of  the  Genizah.  It 
is  my  hope  that  the  publication  of  this  text  together 
with  the  facsimile  will  enable  others  who  work  in 
the  same  field  to  discover  the  rest  of  this  remark- 
able document. 

I.  D. 

New  York 
April,  1915 

7 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    Introduction n 

II.    Saadia's  Polemic  against  Hiwi  Al-Balkhi   .      38 

III.  Texts  Relating  to  Hiwi  Al-Balkhi  and  His 
Two  Hundred  Questions;  Arranged  Chrono- 
logically       .      80 


CHAPTER  I 

INTRODUCTION 

The  annals  of  Jewish  literature  can  point  to  many 
an  important  document  that  for  centuries  long  lay 
buried  and  forgotten  in  the  dust,  and  then  was  dug 
up  and  brought  into  the  light  of  day,  taking  with  it 
out  of  the  dimness  of  obscurity  into  the  glare  of  pub- 
licity the  person  or  persons  recorded  therein.  Wit- 
ness, for  instance,  the  Chronicle  of  Ahimaaz,  coming 
from  a  Spanish  library,  and  the  Scroll  of  Abiathar, 
the  Letter  of  Chushiel  ben  Elhanan,  and  the  Docu- 
ments of  Jewish  Sectaries  issuing  from  the  Cairo 
Genizah.  Indeed,  since  the  discovery  of  the  Geni- 
zah,  any  number  of  documents  have  constantly 
been  turning  up  which  have  given  a  better  insight 
into  the  life  of  the  Jews  in  the  remote  past.  As  Dr. 
Schechter  himself  some  years  ago  testified,  "new 
letters  from  the  Eminences  [Gaonim],  addressed  to 
their   contemporaries  ....  are    daily    coming   to 

light Even  entire  new  books,  or  fragments 

of  such,  composed  by  the  Gaonim  and  only  known 
by  references,  have  been  discovered."1  How  rich  the 
Genizah  is  in  literary  treasures  can  be  seen  from  the 
fact  that  one  who  has  merely  "gleaned  in  the  field 

1  S.  Schechter,  Studies  in  Judaism  (New  Series),  Philadelphia,  1908, 
p.  28. 

11 


12  saadia's  polemic 


after  the  reapers"  has  been  fortunate  enough  to  light 
upon  so  important  a  document  as  the  long-lost 
Polemic  of  Saadia  against  giwi  Al-Balkhi. 

For  nearly  one  thousand  years  the  name  of  giwi 
was  practically  forgotten.  Saadia  mentioned  him 
once  casually  in  his  philosophical  work,2  and  Ibn 
Ezra  mentioned  him  three  times  in  his  Commentary 
on  Exodus,3  while  the  chronicler  Ibn  Daud  dilated 
upon  the  efforts  which  Saadia  made  to  eradicate 
the  influence  of  giwi,4  but,  through  a  scribal  error, 
all  the  older  editions  of  this  Chronicle  read  "Hamiel 
Kalbi "  instead  of  " giwi  Al-Balkhi."s  These  casual 
references  were  not  sufficient  to  keep  the  name  of 
giwi  alive  in  the  annals  of  Jewish  history  and  litera- 
ture. As  a  result  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  if  the 
sixth  volume  of  Jost's  History  of  the  Jews,  published 
in  1826,  though  dealing  with  the  period  of  Saadia, 
contained  no  reference  to  giwi.6 

The  first  to  bring  the  name  of  giwi  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  modern  student  of  Jewish  history  and 
literature  was  S.  J.  Rapoport,  in  his  Biography  of 
Saadia,  published  in  1829. 7     In  this  Biography,  the 

•  mnm  maTaan  -iso ,  ed.  siucki,  P.  20. 

3  Exod.  14,  27;  16,  13;  34,  29.  The  text  of  these  passages  is  given 
below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  10,  c,  d,  e. 

"  nbnpn  "130  ,  ed.  Neubauer,  p.  66.    Comp.  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  n. 

5  This  error  was  copied  by  David  Conforte  in  his  mTHPl  XHlp 
(fol.  40). 

6  Comp.  Jost,  Geschkhte  der  Israeliten,  Berlin,  1826,  pp.  86-97. 

i  }6n  rmbin ,  in  ?rtD2 ,  1829,  pp.  20-37. 


AGAINST   HIWI   AL-BALKHI  1 3 

first  of  a  brilliant  series,  Rapoport  displayed  such 
wide  erudition  and  such  keen  historic  sense  and 
critical  acumen  that  he  drew  upon  himself  the  atten- 
tion of  the  greatest  scholars  of  the  time.  With  his 
remarkable  faculty  for  gathering  data  from  neglected 
corners  of  history  and  literature,  and  reconstructing 
the  past  from  them,  he  summed  up  the  most  essential 
characteristics  of  5iwi  within  the  compass  of  one 
Note.8  He  was  the  first  to  point  out  the  references 
to  IJiwi  in  Saadia  and  Ibn  Ezra  mentioned  above, 
as  well  as  to  detect  the  scribal  error  in  the  Chronicle 
of  Ibn  Daud,  and  to  suggest  the  correct  reading  of 
"IJiwi"  instead  of  "Hamiel,"  a  point  which  was, 
some  sixty  years  later,  corroborated  by  several 
manuscripts.9  From  these  scanty  references,  Rapo- 
port drew  two  important  conclusions:  first,  that 
IJiwi  was  not  a  Karaite,  but  a  rationalistic  critic 
of  the  Bible,10  and,  second,  that  Saadia  answered  his 
criticism  in  a  separate  pamphlet.  More  than  this 
he  could  not  say.    He  held  to  the  form  Kalbi  for 

*Ibid.,  p.  31,  note  31. 

9  nbnpn  nso ,  i.e. 

"Comp.  Rapoport,  301  nTlbin,  note  31:   ^TO  mOT  DW1 

?n&hn  innts  am™  rm  b^ra  -w-ft  p  is^i  -nn  nnp  ht 
htbdi  mana  "jtto  pn  -o^inpn  ■pTo  bbs  ira  rmo  "120  by 

jmrmri  ^cdi 

The  opening  words  of  this  paragraph  are  somewhat  puzzling.  It  is 
difficult  to  understand  to  whom  Rapoport  refers  when  he  says  that 
"many  are  of  the  opinion  that  Hiwi  was  a  Karaite."  I  can  find  no 
such  statement  anywhere. 


14  saadia's  polemic 

IJiwi's  surname,  since  all  the  sources  known  to  him 
had  that  reading. 

In  1847,  however,  S.  D.  Luzzatto  published  an 
extract  from  a  manuscript  copy  of  Barzilai's  Com- 
mentary on  the  Sepher  Yezirah"  which  contained  a 
quotation  from  a  lost  book  of  Saadia,12  and  in  which 
was  found  a  brief  paragraph  taken  from  his  reply 
to  IJiwi.13  From  this  paragraph  Luzzatto  drew  the 
following  conclusions:  first,  that  IJiwi's  surname 
was  Al-Balkhi,  meaning  that  he  came  from  the  city 
of  Balkh,  in  Persia;14  second,  that  the  work  which 
formed  the  object  of  Saadia's  Polemic  consisted  of 
two  hundred  questions,  and,  third,  that  Saadia's 
reply  to  these  questions  was  written  in  the  Hebrew 
language.15  Meanwhile  S.  Pinsker,  in  the  course  of 
gathering  material  for  his  epoch-making  work  on  the 
history  of  the  Karaites  and  their  literature,  found 
strong  evidence  in  support  of  Rapoport's  hypothe- 
sis that  IJiwi  was  not  a  Karaite.    This  evidence 

"  comp.  (*  nDob)  nanan  rra,  foil.  ub-i2o,  and  mp  mrbn, 
p.  71. 

12  Graetz  (Geschichte,  V,  5  28)  proved  that  this  extract  came  from 
Saadia's  T^nbtf  ItfrO . 

x*  For  the  full  text  of  this  quotation,  see  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,  a. 

14  On  the  name  of  Hiwi,  comp.  Poznanski,  ^DbSH  iTn ,  in  pin , 
VII,  113-114. 

xs  Curiously  enough,  Fiirst  (Bib.  Judaica,  I,  268)  states  that  a  large(!) 
fragment  of  the  Hebrew  translation  (!)  of  Saadia's  reply  to  Hiwi  was 
preserved  in  Barzilai's  Commentary  on  the  Sepher  Yezirah,  and  with  his 
usual  self-assurance  gives  even  the  Arabic  title  of  this  Polemic  as  D^DD 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  1 5 

consisted  of  a  quotation  from  Solomon  b.  Yeruham's 
Arabic  Commentary  on  Ecclesiastes,  in  which 
IJiwi  is  taken  to  task  for  some  of  his  questions 
and  from  which  we  gather  that  9iwi  was  not  an 
opponent  of  the  Oral  Law  alone  but  of  the  Scriptures 
as  well,  and  that  he  dealt  in  his  Questions  not  only 
with  the  miracles  of  the  Bible  but  also  with  an- 
thropomorphic passages.16 

The  next  scholar  to  throw  further  light  upon  IJiwi 
was  Graetz.  He  showed,  first  of  all,  that  Saadia's 
reply  to  IJiwi  must  have  been  written  before  the 
year  92 7.17  Then,  having  detected  that  the  ques- 
tions cited  by  Barzilai  and  by  Solomon  b.  Yeruham 
corresponded  to  the  fifth  and  sixth  questions  of  the 
twelve  enumerated  by  Saadia  in  the  third  chapter 
of  his  philosophic  work,18  he  arrived  at  the  conclusion 
that  at  least  all  of  the  first  ten  must  have  originated 
with  IJiwi.19  This  enabled  us  to  form  a  still  clearer 
idea  of  the  nature  of  IJiwi's  critique. 

16  nWfiffip  ■'IDIpb  ,  p.  28.  For  the  text  of  this  quotation  see  below, 
chap,  iii,  sec.  5.  In  this  connection  it  may  also  be  mentioned  that  later 
on  P.  Frankel  found  another  Karaite,  Joseph  Al-Basir,  refuting  the  same 
question  of  Hiwi  which  Ibn  Ezra  cites  in  his  Commentary  on  Exod. 
14,  27  (M.G.W.J.,  XX,  156-157),  and  Harkavy  brought  the  testimony 
of  Kirkisani,  that  the  Karaite  Abu  Amran  al-Taflisi  also  refuted  Hiwi 
(«TH#0  21  I'TOT,  p.  147).  Pinsker  persisted  in  regarding  Al-Kalbi 
and  not  Al-Balkhi  as  the  right  form  of  Hiwi's  surname. 

*»  Geschichle,  V,  528. 

18  IWim  niDTQXn  ISO  ,  p.  73;  and  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,  i,  VH . 

J»  Graetz,  ibid.,  p.  534. 


i6 

On  the  other  hand,  Dukes,  Fiirst,  and  Gottlober, 
though  they  dealt  with  the  subject,  have  added 
nothing.  Dukes  merely  mentioned  the  Polemic  in 
one  place19*  and  in  another  brought  the  far-fetched 
suggestion  that  Kalbi  signified  "one  who  belonged 
to  the  tribe  of  Kalb."I9b  Gottlober  merely  trans- 
lated Fiirst  and  Graetz,19"  while  Fiirst  indulged  in 
wild  hypo  theses. Igd  He  maintained,  for  instance, 
that  5iwi  translated  the  Bible  into  Arabic,  basing 
his  theory  upon  Ibn  Daud's  remark  that  IJiwi  !TQ 
miri  lnb?J,  not  seeing  that  this  remark  would 
apply  to  himself  more  fittingly.  He  also  asserted 
that  Saadia's  reply  to  IJiwi  was  written  in  Arabic 
and  that  the  Hebrew  quotation  by  Barzilai  was  a 
translation,  failing  to  see  that  Saadia  was  careful  to 
say    that    he    quoted    his    Polemic    verbatim  ("pi 

■frabn  nn  rba  TaiiDn  nrrn).    He  also  persisted 

in  considering  IJiwi  as  a  Karaite.  The  only  guess 
in  which  he  came  near  the  truth  was  that  Saadia's 
Polemic  was  written  in  rhymed  prose.  But  here 
also  he  overreached  himself  by  assuming  that  it 
consisted  exactly  of  two  hundred  stanzas  of  four 
lines  each. 


***  Comp.   Literaturhistorische  Mittheilungen   (Stuttgart,   1844),  pp. 
33-34. 

^Comp.  Philosophisches  aus  d.  ioten  Jahr.  CNakel,  1868),  p.  33. 

«*  Comp.  D^anpn  nnb-inb  mpn ,  wiina,  1865,  pp.  113, 142, 167. 

^Comp.  Geschichte  des  Karaerthums,  I,  106-107,  I75~i77;  H,  30-31, 
and  notes,  pp.  10-11. 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  1 7 

In  1878,  Harkavy  brought  to  light  one  more  ques- 
tion of  Iliwi  from  a  quotation  in  a  fragment  of  an 
Arabic  Commentary  on  the  Bible  written  either  by 
Saadia  or  by  Samuel  Ibn  IJofni.20  The  next  year, 
Jacob  Guttmann  published  a  minute  study  of  the 
ten  questions  enumerated  by  Saadia,21  and,  accepting 
Graetz's  point  of  view,  went  a  step  farther  to  prove 
that  they  were  not  original  with  IJiwi,  but  were 
already  found  in  the  Midrash.  According  to  Gutt- 
mann, what  IJiwi  did  was  to  take  the  questions  of 
the  Midrash  and  ignore  the  answers.22  In  1888, 
Israelsohn  published  one  more  question  of  Iliwi 
found  in  an  Arabic  Commentary  on  Deuteronomy,23 
and  in  1891,  after  Darmesteter  published  Texts 
Pehlvis  relatifs  au  Judaistne,24  Kaufmann  made  the 
conjecture  that  these  Pahlavi  texts  were  probably 
the  source  of  IJiwi's  inspiration.25  Then,  in  1891, 
Harkavy,  in  the  first  part  of  his  work  on  Saadia, 
proved  for  the  first  time  from  a  passage  in  the  Sepher 


20  Comp.  DTTJD  wlDXT3 ,  I,  4,  and  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  6,  a. 

21  Comp.  M.G.W.J.,  XXVIII,  260-270,  289-300. 

22  Comp.  ibid.,  p.  299,  note  1,  where  Guttmann  adds  this  new  point, 
that  Saadia's  remark  concerning  Manna:    flliS  "pa?  *D  rWH  ^SBI 

nbnott  nabsD  nnT  )isn  (mnm  maroon  'o ,  p.  12),  was  probably 

directed  against  the  same  question  of  Hiwi  which  Ibn  Ezra  cites  in  his 
Commentary  on  Exod.  16,  13. 

23  R.E.J. ,  XVII,  310-312.  He  also  drew  attention  to  a  parallel 
passage  in  inTEtfn  '0 ,  p.  53.  For  the  text  of  these  passages  see 
below,  chap,  iii,  sees.  4,  g,  and  6,  b. 

24  Ibid.,  XVIII,  1-15.  2s  Hid.,  XXII,  287-289. 


18  saadia's  polemic 

Haggalui  that  IJiwi's  Book  of  Two  Hundred  Questions 
was  composed  about  875.26  He  also  pointed  out 
that  the  Karaite  Abu  Amran  Altaflisi  is  the  earliest 
opponent  of  giwi  that  we  know.27 

In  1892  Derenbourg  discovered  an  anonymous 
philosophical  work,  erroneously  ascribed  to  Bahya, 
in  which  he  found  the  remarkable  statement  that 
Saadia  wrote  his  reply  to  IJiwi's  questions  in  Hebrew, 
because  IJiwi  was  a  follower  of  the  Magi.28  Thus, 
for  the  first  time,  we  came  into  possession  of  positive 
evidence  that  Saadia's  Polemic  was  written  in 
Hebrew,  as  Luzzatto  had  conjectured  from  the  first, 
and  that  IJiwi  was  influenced  by  the  teachings  of 
the  Magi,  as  was  suggested  by  Kaufmann. 

In  1896,  Harkavy  further  discovered  a  reference 
to  5iwi  in  an  Arabic  work  of  Moses  Ibn  Ezra,  from 
which  we  learn  that  Ijjiwi  was  not  only  a  rationalistic 
critic,  but  that  he  was  also  opposed  to  the  essential 
principles  of  Judaism.29 

In  1 901,  Dr.  Schechter,  in  discussing  the  Genizah 
text  which  he  discovered  and  edited  under  the  title  of 


a6rP"!PO  21  'j'HDT,  p.  147  and  p.  176, 11.  12-14. 

^Comp.  banca  mnsn  m-npb  in  Heb.  trans,  of  Graetz's 
History,  III,  508. 

38  Comp.  R.E.J. ,  XXV,  248-250.  The  complete  text,  bearing  the 
title  of  Kit&b  maKdni  al-nafs,  was  published  by  Goldziher,  Berlin,  1907. 
A  Hebrew  translation  under  the  title  of  "OSDJl  tTHin  '0  had  been 
previously  made  by  I.  Broyd6,  Paris,  1896.  For  the  passage  concerning 
Hiwi  see  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  8. 

*»  Comp.  D'W*  D}  D^EHn ,  VII,  33,  and  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  9. 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  19 

"The  Oldest  Collection  of  Bible  Difficulties  by  a 
Jew,"30  touched  also  upon  the  characteristic  of 
IJiwi's  writings  and  was  the  first  to  suggest  that 
Ibn  Daud's  remark  that  IJiwi  "invented  a  new 
Torah"  (ITO  laba  STD)  meant  that  he  com- 
posed an  expurgated  Bible  from  which  all  passages 
that  proved  objectionable  to  IJiwi  on  historical  or 
moral  grounds  were  eliminated.31 

Finally,  in  1908,  S.  Poznanski  wrote  an  exhaust- 
ive essay,32  in  which  he  collected  and  co-ordinated 
all  that  is  known  of  IJiwi  up  to  the  present;  and 
while  he  rejected  ten,  or  at  least  nine,  of  the  twelve 
questions  enumerated  by  Saadia  as  not  of  IJiwic 
origin,33  and  maintained  that  the  three  questions 
mentioned  by  Solomon  b.  Yeruham  must  be  re- 
garded as  one,34  he  added,  on  the  other  hand,  two 
more  questions  of  IJiwi  not  noted  before,  one  found 
in  the  Commentary  of  Ibn  Ezra  and  the  other  in  a 
MS  copy  of  an  Arabic  Commentary  on  i  Kings.35 

30 /.ex  xiii,  345-374. 

31  Ibid.,  pp.  354-355.  In  that  essay,  Dr.  Schechter  was  half  inclined 
to  regard  the  Bible  Difficulties  as  identical  with  Hiwi's  Two  Hundred 
Questions,  but  even  then  and  there  he  pointed  out  a  number  of  objec- 
tions, and  concluded  with  the  remark  that  he  was  just  as  much  pre- 
pared for  the  acceptance  of  this  hypothesis  as  for  its  rejection  {ibid., 
p.  357).  I  may  add  that,  long  before  our  text  came  to  light,  I  had  the 
privilege  of  learning  from  him  by  word  of  mouth  that  he  no  longer 
regarded  that  hypothesis  as  tenable. 

»xban  ">vn  m  p:>n,  vn,  112-137. 

33  Ibid.,  p.  126.  34  Ibid.,  p.  122. 

35  Ibid.,  Nos.  2,  10;  below,  chap,  iii,  sees.  6,  c,  10,  b. 


20  saadia's  polemic 

Summing  up  all  the  information  that  has  been 
gathered  concerning  giwi  from  1829  until  now,  we 
may  say  that  he  flourished  about  850-875  and  hailed 
from  Balkh,  a  town  in  "Old  Bactria."  Coming 
under  the  influence  of  Zoroastrianism,  and  espec- 
ially under  the  influence  of  a  Persian  work  known 
to  us  by  the  title  of  Shikand  Gumdnik  Vijdr  ("  Doubt- 
dispelling  Explanations")?  written  after  the  middle, 
but  before  the  end,  of  the  ninth  century,36  he  pro- 
pounded two  hundred  questions  relating  to  the  Bible 
and  to  Jewish  philosophy  and  theology.  It  may  also 
be  that  some  of  these  questions  were  based  upon  the 
various  Biblical  inconsistencies  mentioned  in  the 
Midrashim.  It  is  further  suggested  that,  as  a  result 
of  his  critical  attitude,  he  may  have  made  a  sort  of 
expurgated  Bible,  intended  for  the  use  of  children, 
from  which  all  objectionable  passages  were  elimi- 
nated and  which  was  in  vogue  in  the  schools  until 
Saadia  interfered.  On  account  of  his  skepticism, 
he  was  attacked  by  the  Rabbanites  as  well  as  the 
Karaites,  and  Saadia  even  went  to  the  length  of 
writing  a  complete  refutation  of  the  two  hundred 
questions.  Of  these,  according  to  Poznanski,  only 
ten  could  be  described  with  certainty.37 

&  Comp.  The  Sacred  Books  of  the  East,  XXIV,  p.  xxvii. 

w  Poznanski  groups  these  questions  with  the  Biblical  verses  with 
which  they  deal,  as  follows:  (i)  Gen.  i,  2;  (2)  ibid.  3,  9;  (3)  Exod.  14, 
27;  (4)  ibid.  16,  13;  (5)  ibid.  25,  8;  (6)  ibid.,  the  entire  25th  chapter; 
(7)  ibid.  34,  29;  (8)  Num.  14,  23;  (9)  Deut.  32,  9;   (10)  1  Kings  7, 13-14. 


AGAINST   HIWI   AL-BALKHI  21 

But  the  order  in  which  IJiwi's  questions  were 
written,  and  the  language  and  style  in  which  they 
were  composed  are  matters  that  have  still  remained 
unsolved.  On  the  other  hand,  Saadia's  refutation 
was  proven  to  have  been  written  in  Hebrew  and  in 
rhymed  prose,  and  of  this  only  a  single  quotation 
was  known  till  now,  the  one  cited  in  Barzilai's 
Commentary  on  the  Sepher  Yezirah.  This,  in  brief, 
is  all  the  information  concerning  giwi's  questions 
and  Saadia's  replies  that  has  been  acquired  up  to 
the  present. 

The  Genizah,  however,  restores  to  us  now  a  large 
part  of  Saadia's  Polemic,  and  enables  us  at  the  same 
time  to  get  a  clearer  idea  of  the  contents  and  char- 
acter of  IJiwi's  Book  of  Questions,  since  from  the 
replies  we  are  able,  in  a  measure,  to  reconstruct  the 
corresponding  questions.  In  the  first  place,  we 
learn  from  one  remark  in  this  fragment  that  Iliwi 
composed  his  Book  of  Questions  in  a  tongue  that 
was  not  Hebrew,38  most  likely  Arabic,  and  from 
another  passage  we  may  infer  that  he  also  wrote  it 
in  rhymed  prose.39  The  former  inference  is  sup- 
ported by  the  fact  that  the  author  of  the  Kitdb 
madni  al-nafs  found  it  necessary  to  explain  why 
Saadia  replied  to  Iliwi  in  Hebrew.40    If  IJiwi  had 

38Comp.  below,  chap,  ii,  sec.  37:    I3fib  HI  nmn  nKSTl  TOft 

.nD3 

*Ibid.,  sec.  61:  DTnn  ^WEil  23. 
40  Comp.  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  8. 


22  SAADIA'S  POLEMIC 

composed  his  questions  in  Hebrew,  no  excuse  would 
have  been  necessary  for  Saadia's  use  of  the  same 
language.  Without  a  doubt,  if  Saadia  had  written 
his  philosophical  work  in  Hebrew,  he  would  have 
quoted  his  own  Polemic  literally.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  fact  that  he  did  not  cite  lijiwi  verbatim 
in  his  philosophic  work  is  no  proof  that  IJiwi's 
Questions  were  not  written  in  Arabic,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  the  poetic  style  of  IJiwi's  composition 
did  not  lend  itself  to  the  didactic  style  of  Saadia. 
Furthermore,  our  text  puts  us  in  a  position  to  assert, 
with  full  confidence,  that  Graetz  was  right  in  assum- 
ing that  the  first  ten  questions  in  Saadia's  philo- 
sophical work  owed  their  origin  to  IJiwi's  attacks, 
since,  besides  the  fifth  and  sixth,  which  have  been 
proved  positively  to  be  5iwi's,  we  find  that  our 
text  contains  replies  also  to  the  fourth,  seventh, 
and  eleventh.41  Indeed,  it  gives  us  the  right  to 
assume  that  the  twelfth  also  was  directed  against 
IJiwi. 

Now,  if  we  examine  our  text  carefully,  we  shall 
find  that  it  contains  thirty-one  replies  to  as  many 
questions,  if  not  to  more,  since  in  one  instance  Saadia 
seems  to  have  regarded  four  questions  as  one.42  If 
to  this  number  we  add  nine  of  the  twelve  questions 
given  in  Saadia's  philosophic  work,  but  not  found 

41  Comp.  below,  chap,  ii,  sees.  28,  29,  41,  65-68. 

<aComp.  ibid.,  sec.  10.  mpi  Din  -nns  *^bn  -nm  nba  bs 

.Diir  nwm  nna  nba© 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  23 

in  our  text,43  and  seven  of  the  ten  questions  arranged 
by  Poznanski,  not  found  in  either  of  these  sources,44 
we  get  a  total  of  at  least  forty-seven  questions,  or 
about  one-fourth  of  the  contents  of  IJiwi's  Book 
of  Two  Hundred  Questions.  This  should  give  us  a 
clear  idea  of  what  IJiwi  aimed  at  in  his  writings, 
and  should  enable  us  to  understand  his  religious 
attitude,  whether  he  was  merely  a  rationalistic  critic, 
or  the  founder  of  a  sect,  or  simply  a  skeptic,  who 
had  no  higher  aim  than  to  poke  fun  at  the  Sacred 
Writings. 

Let  us  first  state  briefly  the  questions  in  the  order 
indicated  above. 

A.   THE  QUESTIONS  DEDUCED  FROM  OUR  TEXT 

i.  Why  did  God  withhold  the  Tree  of  Life  from  Adam? 

(1-4)45 

2.  Why  did  God  accept  Abel's  gift  and  reject  that  of  Cain  ? 

(s) 

3.  Why  did  God  ask  Cain  where  Abel  was?     (6) 

4.  Why  did  not  God  save  the  life  of  Abel  ?     (7-9) 

5.  Why  did  God  make  man  liable  to  suffering?     (10,  11) 

6.  Why  does  not  man  live  forever  ?     (12-15) 

7.  Why  was  not  man  created  holy  and  pure?     (16-18) 

43  These  are  Nos.  1-3,  5,  6,  8-10,  12. 

44  These  are  Nos.  1-4,  7,  8,  10.  No.  1  is  deduced  from  the  remarks 
in  the  Kitdb  ma*dni  al-nafs,  Nos.  2,  3,  4,  7  are  taken  from  Ibn  Ezra's 
Commentary,  No.  8  is  found  in  an  Arabic  Commentary  on  Numbers, 
and  No.  10  in  a  similar  Commentary  on  1  Kings. 

45  The  numbers  in  parentheses  refer  to  the  sections  in  the  Hebrew- 
text  below  (chap.  ii). 


24  saadia's  polemic 

8.  Why  has  God  implanted  evil  in  man,  and  has  not  freed 
him  from  the  Evil  Yezer?     (19,  20) 

9.  God  seems  to  have  regretted  that  He  created  man. 
(20,  21) 

10.  Since  God  blessed  men  with  the  power  to  subdue  the 
earth,  why  did  He  destroy  them  afterward?  (22,  23) 

11.  Why  did  not   God  rest  from   inflicting  punishment? 

(24) 

12.  Why  were  the  earth  and  all  the  animals  destroyed,  to- 
gether with  man,  in  the  flood  ?     (25) 

13.  Why  did  God  save  Noah?     (26,  27) 

14.  Why  should  blood  of  animals  be  acceptable  to  God  as  an 
atonement?     (28,  29) 

15.  Why  should  God  have  feared  that  the  builders  of  the 
Tower  of  Babel  would  wage  war  against  Him  ?     (31-34) 

16.  Why  has  God  chosen  the  Jewish  people  as  His  own 
portion  and  given  the  other  nations  into  the  care  of  the 
angels?     (35-40) 

17.  Is  not  circumcision  the  same  as  mutilation?     (41) 

18.  Did  not  God  change  the  name  of  Abram  to  Abraham 
that  it  may  act  as  a  charm  ?     (42) 

19.  Are  not  the  verses  in  Gen.  22,  17,  and  Deut.  7,  7, 
contradictory  to  each  other  ?     (43) 

20.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  vision  of  Abraham  ?     (44-46) 

21.  Why  did  God  inflict  the  Egyptian  servitude  upon  the 
offspring  of  Abraham  ?     (47-49) 

22.  If  Ishmael  had  not  been  born  would  not  the  Jews  have 
suffered  less  ?     (50) 

23.  Is  not  the  Godhead  represented  as  three?     (50) 

24.  Is  not  God  represented  as  eating  and  accepting  bribes  ? 

(51-56) 

25.  Wherein  was  Sodom  more  iniquitous  than  other  cities 
that  it  should  have  met  with  such  severe  punishment  ? 
(57,  58) 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  25 

26.  Were  not  the  descendants  of  Lot  forbidden  to  be  ad- 
mitted in  the  assembly  of  the  Lord,  because  of  the  incest 
in  which  their  first  ancestors  were  born  ?     (59,  60) 

27.  Was  it  not  foolish  of  Isaac  to  yield  himself  as  a  sacrifice  ? 
(61,  62) 

28.  Why  should  God  have  needed  to  put  Abraham  to  test, 
since  everything  is  known  unto  Him?     (63,  64) 

29.  Why  has  God  made  the  children  of  Esau  more  prosperous 
than  the  children  of  Jacob  ?     (65-68) 

30.  Would  not  the  tribes  have  lived  in  peace  among  them- 
selves if  they  all  had  one  mother  as  they  had  one  father  ? 

(69) 

3 1 .  Why  was  Jacob  subjected  to  so  much  suffering  ?     (70-73) 

B.      THE  QUESTIONS  RECORDED  IN  THE  THIRD  CHAP- 
TER OF   SAADIA'S  PHILOSOPHIC  WORK 
NOT  FOUND  IN   OUR  TEXT 

32.  Are  not  many  commandments  in  the  Bible  stated  with- 
out giving  a  reason  for  them  ?     (1)46 

33.  Are  not  the  verses  in  2  Sam.  24,  7,  and  1  Chron.  21,  5 
contradictory  to  each  other?     (2) 

34.  Does  not  the  Bible  contain  also  impossible  statements  ? 

(3) 

35.  How  is  it  that  the  Creator  made  His  light  to  dwell  among 
men  and  left  the  angels  without  light  ?     (5) 

36.  What  need  has  God  for  tabernacle  and  curtain,  for  burn- 
ing candles  and  sound  of  song,  for  the  show  bread  and 
the  smell  of  incense,  for  the  offering  of  flower  and  wine, 
oil  and  fruit  ?     (6) 

37.  How  is  it  that  the  ashes  of  the  red  heifer  make  unclean 
people  clean  and  vice  versa?     (8) 

46  The  numbers  in  parentheses  refer  to  the  order  of  the  questions  in 

.  mnrn  HOTatn  'o 


26  SAADIA'S  POLEMIC 

38.  How  was  it  that  a  sacrifice  was  offered  on  the  Day  of 
Atonement  to  Azazel  when  that  is  the  name  of  a  demon  ? 

(9) 

39.  How  could  the  breaking  of  the  head  of  the  heifer  atone 
for  the  people  when  they  committed  no  crime  ?     (10) 

40.  Does  not  the  Bible  omit  the  mention  of  reward  and 
punishment  in  the  next  world?     (12) 

C.      QUESTIONS  FOUND  IN  OTHER  SOURCES 

41.  Concerning  the  pre-existence  of  the  world,     (i)47 

42.  If  Adam  had  not  answered  where  he  was  God  would  not 
have  found  him.     (2) 

43.  The  Israelites  crossed  the  Red  Sea  without  any  miracle, 
because  Moses  knew  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  sea  and  the 
Egyptians  did  not.     (3) 

44.  The  Manna  was  not  a  miraculous  food  but  the  Persian 
Tarjabin  found  in  those  parts  of  the  world.     (4) 

45.  When  Moses  came  down  from  Mt.  Sinai  his  face  was  so 
shrunken  from  long  fasting  that  the  people  were  afraid 
to  look  at  him  and  therefore  he  was  obliged  to  put  on  a 
veil.     (7) 

46.  Since  God  first  promised  to  give  Palestine  to  the  children 
of  Israel,  how  is  it  that  he  swore  afterward  (Num.  14, 
23)  that  He  would  not  let  them  enter  into  it  ?     (8) 

47.  The  verses  in  1  Kings  7, 13-14,  and  2  Chron.,  2,  13  con- 
tradict each  other.     (10) 

If  we  carefully  analyze  the  foregoing  47  questions, 
it  will  be  seen  that  they  may  be  classified  under  the 
following  six  heads:    I.   God  and  His  Attributes; 


« The  numbers  in  parentheses  correspond  to  the  order  in  which 
Poznanski  has  arranged  them. 


AGAINST  ?IWI  AL-BALKHI  27 

II.  God  and  Creation;  III.  The  Worship  of  God; 
IV.  Miracles;  V.  Bible  Difficulties;  VI.  Bible  Ex- 
egesis. 

Under  the  first  head  would  come  the  following 
ideas:  The  Godhead  is  not  one,  but  three  (24) ;48 
God  is  not  Omnipotent,  else  why  was  He  afraid  to 
allow  man  to  live  forever?  (1,  6);  and  why  did  He 
fear  lest  men  wage  war  against  Him?  (16).  He  is 
not  Omniscient,  else  why  should  He  have  had  to 
ask  Adam  where  he  was  ?  (43) ;  and  why  should  He 
have  had  to  inquire  of  Cain  after  Abel?  (3);  and 
why  did  He  put  Abraham  to  test  to  make  sure  of  his 
implicit  faith?  (29).  Sometimes  God  acts  like 
man  (25,  37).  He  even  practices  enchantments 
(19).  God  is  not  always  impartial  and  just  (2,  4, 
5,  10,  12,  17,  22,  26,  32).  Sometimes  He  does  not 
even  keep  His  promises  (47). 

Under  the  second  head  may  be  grouped  the  fol- 
lowing ideas:  The  World  existed  before  Creation 
(42).  God's  Creation  is  so  far  imperfect  that  He 
himself  had  reason  to  regret  it  (7,  9,  36).  God 
implanted  evil  in  man  (8,  15). 

Under  the  third  head  come  IJiwi's  objections  to 
the  sacrifice  of  animals  (14),  circumcision  (18),  and 
the  scapegoat  (39). 

The  fourth  group  contains  arguments  against 
miracles  (44-45). 

48  The  numbers  in  the  following  parentheses  refer  to  the  paragraphs 
in  the  preceding  analysis. 


28  saadia's  polemic 

The  fifth  group,  or  the  group  of  Bible  Difficulties, 
relates  to  the  contradictions  (20,  34,  48)  and  impos- 
sibilities (35)  found  in  the  Scriptures  as  well  as  to 
the  laws  for  which  no  reason  is  given  (33,  38,  40). 

Under  the  last  heading  come  the  Biblical  passages 
to  which  IJiwi  seems  to  have  given  an  interpretation 
of  his  own  (11,  13,  21,  23,  27,  28,  31,  41,  46). 

We  see  from  this  analysis  that  Uiwi  was  not  merely 
a  collector  of  Biblical  inconsistencies  but  that  he 
used  the  Bible  as  a  basis  upon  which  to  build  posi- 
tive doctrines.  His  ideas  about  God  in  the  main, 
and  especially  the  emphasis  he  lays  upon  the  fact 
that  evil  is  inborn  in  man,  and  that  God's  work  falls 
short  of  perfection,  are  in  harmony  with  the  state- 
ment of  the  author  of  the  Kitab  madni  al-nafs  that 
he  was  inclined  toward  the  religion  of  Zoroaster, 
the  fundamental  idea  of  which  is  that  at  the  begin- 
ning of  things  there  existed  two  spirits,  Ormuzd  and 
Ahriman,  representing  good  and  evil,  and  that  both 
possessed  the  power  to  create.  Perhaps  his  objec- 
tion to  the  sacrifice  of  animals  may  also  be  due  to 
Zoroastrian  influence,  since  the  protection  of  useful 
animals  assumes  the  dignity  of  a  doctrine  in  the 
Vendidad.49 

Additional  testimony  that  Hiwi  was  a  follower  of 
the  Magi  may  be  deduced  from  the  following  remark 
of  Ibn  Danan.     In  speaking  of  IJiwi,  he  says  that 

«  Comp.  K.  Geldner,  "Zoroaster"  (in  Enc.  Brit.,  9th  ed.,  Vol.  XXIV, 
8626). 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  29 

"he  was  a  philosopher  and  a  magician "  (^TH  Wn 
n*n  bra  ClTOBI  rXlbs).49"  Harkavy,  assum- 
ing positively  that  Ibn  Danan  had  no  other 
source  before  him  but  the  Chronicle  of  Ibn  Daud, 
ascribes  this  remark  to  gross  carelessness  or  wilful 
distortion  of  facts.496  But  in  all  possibility,  Ibn 
Danan  may  have  had  other  sources  from  which  he 
learned  of  yiwi's  leaning  toward  the  teachings  of 
the  Magi,  and  the  term  "(IBM  is  to  be  taken  as  the 
rendering  in  Biblical  Hebrew  of  the  word  Magician 
in  its  etymological  significance  of  a  follower  of  the 
Magi,  not  in  its  derived  sense  of  enchanter. 

That  he  was  greatly  influenced  by  the  Pahlavi 
book  Shikand-Gumdnik  Vijdr  cannot  be  doubted, 
for  on  comparing  the  criticism  of  the  Scriptures 
contained  in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  chapters 
of  that  book  with  the  Questions  of  IJiwi,  we  find  not 
only  a  similarity  of  tone  but  an  actual  identity  of 
topics  in  at  least  three  instances.50  All  his  ideas 
concerning  God  are  in  harmony  with  the  view  of  the 
Persian  skeptic  whose  object,  as  clearly  stated  in 
the  opening  of  the  thirteenth  chapter,  is  to  show  "the 
inconsistency   and   faulty   statements   of   the  first 

4'a  Comp.  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  14,  b. 

4»rrn90  m  prw,  p.  i47,  note  i:  w  )xa  cwwi  chied 
gnaflDb  innTD  ab  tk  brattb  n-nnb  tar  rvr  rem  —  rrnatD 

bDD  nanai  wonm  D^TB-ipn  ■nan  na  opwro  n^*nnan 

50  Comp.  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  1,  a,  b,  c. 


30  saadia's  polemic 

scripture,"51  i.e.,  the  Old  Testament.  On  the  other 
hand,  his  question  why  God  saved  Noah  (13)  could 
not  possibly  have  been  inspired  by  Zoroastrianism 
since  we  find  also  in  the  Avesta  that  a  winter  de- 
populated the  earth  except  in  the  enclosure  of  the 
blessed  Yima.52  Nor  can  we  reconcile  the  idea  of 
a  Trinity  (23)  with  the  teachings  of  Zoroaster.  In 
fact,  from  one  of  Saadia's  remarks  it  seems  that  he 
accused  IJiwi  of  being  a  follower  of  Christianity,  for 
he  says  to  him,  "Thou  knowest  that  thy  master 

s1  Comp.  The  Sacred  Books  of  the  East,  XXIV,  208.  The  similarity 
between  Hiwi's  Questions  and  the  Persian  text  will  perhaps  be  made 
still  clearer  by  the  following  analysis  of  the  thirteenth  chapter  taken 
from  the  introduction  of  E.  W.  West  to  his  edition  of  the  Pazand- 
Sanskrit  text  of  the  Shikand  Gumdnlk  Vijdr  (Bombay,  1887),  pp.  xiv- 
xv.  "The  13th  chapter  begins  (1-4)  a  criticism  of  the  Jewish  Scrip- 
tures by  pointing  out  apparent  inconsistencies  and  absurdities  in  the 
first  book  of  Moses.  After  quoting  (§§  5-47)  many  passages  from  the 
account  of  the  creation  and  the  fall  of  man,  contained  in  Genesis  i, 
1-5,  26,  27,  31;  ii,  1,  2,  15-17;  iii,  i-io,  23,  24,  besides  referring  to 
Exodus  xx,  10,  11,  Mardan-farukh  proceeds  to  criticize  this  account 
especially  with  reference  to  the  creation  of  light  and  the  previous  con- 
dition of  the  sacred  being  and  the  world  (§§  48-91),  also  as  to  why  six 
days  were  necessary  for  the  creation  (§§  92-99),  how  the  days  could  have 
been  formed  before  the  sun  (§§  100,  101),  why  repose  was  requisite  on 
the  seventh  day  if  the  creation  merely  consisted  of  commands  (§§  102- 
105),  why  man  was  created  disobedient,  and  why  a  command  was  given 
when  it  was  known  that  he  would  not  obey  it  (§§  106-122),  whether  that 
command  was  not  intended  to  maintain  ignorance,  so  that  man  really 
owes  his  knowledge  'to  the  serpent  and  deceit'  (§§  1 23-131),  and  whether 
other  details  of  the  statement  regarding  the  fall  of  man  are  not  incon- 
sistent with  the  omniscience,  truth,  and  power  of  the  sacred  king  (§§  135- 
147).  It  is  further  pointed  out  that  the  curse  inflicted  on  Adam  could 
not  be  justly  extended  to  his  posterity  (§§  148,  149)." 

»  Comp.  A.  V.  W.  Jackson,  "Zoroaster"  (in  Jew.  Enc,  XII,  696^. 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  3 1 

hath  been  eaten  and  drunk  and  absorbed  and 
mixed  up  [in  the  body],"52"  which  plainly  refers  to 
the  Eucharist. 

It  seems,  therefore,  safe  to  assume  that  3iwi, 
on  the  one  hand,  denied  the  truth  of  the  Torah  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  showed  a  leaning  toward  Chris- 
tianity as  well  as  the  religion  of  Zoroaster.  Whether 
he  had  separated  himself  entirely  from  Judaism  and 
aimed  at  founding  a  new  sect  cannot  be  said  with 
certainty,53  but  at  all  events  he  endeavored  to  spread 
his  views  throughout  the  schools  by  means  of  a  new 
principle  of  Biblical  exegesis.  This  would  be  in 
complete  harmony  with  the  account  of  Ibn  Daud 
in  which  IJiwi  is  described  as  one  of  the  sectarians 
and  those  who  deny  the  Torah  and  as  one  who 
"invented  a  new  Torah"  (tWrafi  b?  rVOTOn  rrttiTl 

rrn  tusk  ^nbsba  ti  ana  mm  -mira  trtswi  bn 

PPin  isbn).  The  statement  of  Ibn  Daud  that 
Saadia  testified  to  having  seen  this  "invented 
Torah"  taught  to  children  mmbni  D^BBS ,  which 
has  been  taken  to  mean  "in  books  and  on  tablets" 
led  to  the  assumption  that  the  teachings  of  giwi 
were  embodied  in  some  tangible,  or  even  portable, 
form,  in  other  words,  an  expurgated  Bible.     It  is 

S2a  See  below,  chap,  ii,  sec.  54. 

53  The  fact  that  Hiwi's  teachings  were  in  vogue  in  the  schools  argues 
against  the  supposition  that  he  was  the  founder  of  a  new  sect.  On  the 
other  hand,  Ibn  Danan's  statement,  b&ntPft  113*111  rVHm  rPOTYl 
(below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  14,  b),  seems  to  support  it. 


32  SAADIA  S   POLEMIC 

my  opinion,  however,  that  these  two  words  stand 
for  two  cities,  or  two  districts  in  the  Orient,  though 
I  am  unable  to  identify  them.  This  interpretation 
finds  support  in  the  fact  that  Saadia  Ibn  Danan,  in 
quoting  Ibn  Daud,  substitutes  for  these  two  words 
the  expression  bnnn  "jbnba  "H3D,  "in  the  cities  of 
Albalkh  in  Babylonia."54  This,  of  course,  is  geo- 
graphically impossible,  as  Harkavy  has  pointed 
out,ss  but  it  does  not  follow,  as  Harkavy  claims, 
that  Ibn  Danan  was  extremely  careless.s6  It  only 
shows  that  he  took  these  two  words  as  names  of 
places  and  tried  to  identify  them.  We  may,  there- 
fore, regard  the  theory  that  IJiwi  composed  a  sort 
of  expurgated  Bible  as  doubtful,  if  not  altogether 
erroneous.  Further  proof  that  Ibn  Daud  speaks 
of  a  method  and  not  of  books  or  tablets  may  be 
deduced  from  his  last  remark  in  which  he  says 
that  the  teachers  taught  this  "invented  Torah" 
until  R.  Saadia  came  and  prevailed  over  them 
(orcfcyi  TWO  '1  »«  13).  That  is,  he  prevailed 
upon  the  teachers  to  abandon  the  views  of  IJiwi. 
The  word  DH£D1  would  hardly  have  been  employed 
if  all  they  did  was  to  teach  the  Bible  in  an  abridged 
form,  from  books  and  tablets.  It  is  more  appli- 
cable to  the  abolition  of  ideas.  Indeed,  we  are 
fully  justified  in  assuming  that  Ibn  Daud  had  in 

54  Comp.  below,  chap.  Hi,  sec.  14,  b. 
ssrVHIPO  m  jp"DT,  p.  147,  note  1. 
s6  Ibid. 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  33 

mind  Saadia's  powerful  and  convincing  refutation 
contained  in  the  text  before  us. 

That  the  text  published  here  for  the  first  time  is 
the  Polemic  under  discussion  cannot  be  doubted.57 
On  the  one  hand,  we  have  here  the  replies  to  two 
questions,  which  we  know  from  independent  sources 
to  have  emanated  from  IJiwi  (14,  16),  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  authorship  of  Saadia  is  firmly  estab- 
lished by  a  threefold  acrostic. 

Our  text  is  written  in  rhymed  prose,  and  is  divided 
into  stanzas  of  four  rhymes  each.  In  accordance 
with  the  literary  custom  of  the  time  this  Polemic 
is  made  up  of  several  series,  or  groups,  of  stanzas, 
bearing  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  in  acrostic.  The 
first  group  gives  the  letters  in  their  regular  order 
(3"M),  the  next  gives  them  in  the  reverse  order 

(pTJDfl),  and  the  next  again  has  them  once  more 
in  their  regular  order,  and  so  forth.  In  addition  to 
this  customary  plan  of  structure,  Saadia  introduced 
into  each  group  of  stanzas  a  secondary  group,  bear- 
ing his  name  in  acrostic,  so  that  the  letters  of  the 

57  The  MS  bears  now  the  shelf-mark  T-S.  8.  J.  30  and  consists  of  two 
double  sheets,  making  altogether  eight  continuous  pages.  The  size  of 
the  paper  is  6^X4!  inches,  and  the  writing  is  in  a  legible  square  hand 
inclined  somewhat  to  cursive.  The  first  two  pages  contain  25  lines  each, 
the  next  four  pages  24  lines  each,  and  the  last  two  pages  only  22  lines 
each,  making  a  total  of  190  lines.  With  very  few  exceptions  the  MS  is 
unpointed,  but  dots  are  used  to  mark  the  rhymes,  and  strokes  to  indicate 
the  ends  of  stanzas.  The  sequence  of  the  leaves  is  fortunately  estab- 
lished by  the  sequence  of  the  rhymes  as  well  as  by  the  continuity  of 
thought. 


34  SAADIA  S  POLEMIC 

alphabet  and  those  of  his  name  follow  each  other 
alternately.  This  secondary  group  of  stanzas, 
furthermore,  is  not  distributed  haphazard,  but  is 
placed  with  a  care  for  symmetry  and  balance. 
Thus,  in  the  first  series,  the  author's  acrostic  (T?D 
tjCT  p)  numbers  ten  letters  and  is  grouped  so 
that  each  of  these  ten  letters  alternates  with  each 
of  the  last  ten  letters  of  the  alphabet.  In  the 
second  series  the  author's  acrostic  is  placed  in  the 
middle,  and  since  it  contains  only  eight  letters 
(rpbfct  T2C),  it  is  grouped  with  the  eight  middle 
letters  of  the  alphabet  (i.e.,  C-m).  The  third  series 
breaks  off  in  the  middle,  but,  from  the  fact  that  the 
author's  acrostic  here  (  .  .  .  .  bD  iD$T\  T?c)  begins 
immediately  after  the  third  letter  of  the  alpha- 
betic acrostic,  we  may  assume  that  it  extended  up 
to  the  third  letter  from  the  end  of  the  alphabet.  In 
other  words,  it  consisted  of  16  letters  (perhaps 
w;DV  p  nbD  123  fcO  T?C)  and  the  whole  series  con- 
sisted of  38  stanzas. 

Furthermore,  from  the  fact  that  our  text  treats 
of  31  questions  in  73  stanzas  and  that  the  number  of 
stanzas  in  each  group  varies  from  30  to  38,  we  may 
assume  that  the  whole  treatise  dealing  with  the  200 
questions  must  have  comprised  about  460  stanzas, 
or  14  groups.  In  other  words,  we  have  in  our  frag- 
ment about  one-sixth  of  the  entire  work  preserved. 
That  our  fragment  is  a  part  of  the  beginning  of 
the  treatise  can  be  seen  from  the  contents.     But  it 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  35 

may  very  likely  have  been  preceded  by  at  least  two 
groups  in  which  the  earlier  part  of  Genesis  was 
discussed. 

Aside  from  these  points  of  technique,  our  text 
holds  other  points  of  interest  which  tend  to  throw 
further  light  upon  Saadia  himself.  Thus,  from  the 
author's  acrostics  qlb»  TSO  and  rfo  TSfcO  TTO , 
we  learn,  in  corroboration  of  Graetz,  that  Saadia 
wrote  this  Polemic  before  he  was  elevated  to  the 
Gaonate,  that  is,  before  the  year  928.  Again,  we 
see  that  Saadia  applied  the  term  Cftbk  to  himself 
and  not  to  his  father  as  Harkavy  maintained,58 
and  that  the  two  terms  rflba  and  rfo  TDiO  are 
synonymous.59  We  also  learn  from  several  passages 
in  our  text60  that  Saadia  in  the  interest  of  his  reli- 
gious views  sometimes  stretched  his  arguments  to 
a  point  which  was  contrary  to  the  opinion  of  the 
Talmud  and  Midrash.01  Furthermore,  we  find  that 
many  of  the  theological  ideas  which  Saadia  contro- 
verts in  his  philosophical  work,  without  mentioning 
their  sources,  can,  by  help  of  our  text,  be  traced  back 

^Comp.  LPPIIU  QOfeCD,  III,  35;  also  in  CEuvres  computes  de  R. 
Saadia,  IX,  p.   xli.    On   this   point,   comp.   also  Poznanski,  D^D? 

Dianawn  nsipnb  owian  d^td,  p.  62,  §17. 

59  Comp.  Poznanski,  ibid.,  p.  46,  note  1. 

60  Comp.  below,  chap,  ii,  sees.  20  (note  126),  24  (note  142),  31  (note 
157),  35  (note  177). 

61  Comp.  also  Rapoport,  3832*1  "1  nTlbin ,  pp.  44-46;  Pinsker, 
m^TQIp  nT3lpb,  pp.  111-112,  and  D^MB03,pp.  13-14;  Weiss,  TH 

•ronm  "vn ,  iv,  140. 


36  saadia's  polemic 

to  IJiwi's  Questions.62  It  is  therefore  not  unlikely 
that  if  we  knew  more  of  these  Questions  we  should 
find  more  parallels  in  Saadia's  philosophic  work.  It 
is  also  most  probable  that  if  we  had  Saadia's  Biblical 
Commentary  we  should  find  in  it  parallels  to  our 
Polemic.  One  such  parallel,  at  least,  we  have 
now  in  his  remark  that  in  the  Vision  of  Abraham 
(Gen.  15)  there  is  an  allusion  to  the  Resurrection.63 
That  there  is  an  intimate  connection  between 
Saadia's  polemical  monographs  and  his  Biblical  com- 
mentaries has  already  been  pointed  out  by  Hartwig 
Hirschfeld.64  This  scholar  justly  argued  that  the 
usual  classification  of  Saadia's  works  into  Biblical, 
halakhic,  polemical,  and  philosophical  is  too  mechani- 
cal. According  to  him,  "it  appears  more  probable 
that  the  bulk  of  his  works  followed  a  distinct  and 
well-arranged  plan,  in  the  centre  of  which  we  find 
his  translation  and  commentary  on  the  Bible,  and 
from  which  radiated  monographs  on  various  chap- 
ters of  the  Jewish  law  code  which  needed  special 
protection  from  Karaite  interference.,,6s  The  inter- 
dependence of  Saadia's  Commentary  and  his  polemi- 
cal writings  cannot  be  gainsaid.  But  instead  of 
regarding  the  Commentary  as  the  central  work  from 

62  Comp.  below,  chap,  ii,  sees.  10,  11,  12-15,  16-18,  20,  21,  28,  29, 
36-40,  41,  47,  49,  50-55,  65-68,  and  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,  c,  e-o. 

63  Comp.  below,  chap,  ii,  sees.  44,  45,  and  also  note  242  at  the  end. 
<«J.Q.R.,  XVII,  714. 

<*  Ibid.,  I.e. 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  37 

which  the  smaller  monographs  radiated,  I  am  rather 
inclined  to  believe  that  it  was  his  crowning  work  in 
which  he  repeated  and  enlarged  upon  the  ideas 
promulgated  in  his  earlier  writings.  In  fact,  Dr. 
Hirschfeld  himself  had,  on  another  occasion,  pointed 
out  that  in  his  Commentary  on  Leviticus  Saadia 
"repeated,  and  perhaps  enlarged,  his  former  argu- 
ments against  Anan."66  Indeed,  one  gains  the  im- 
pression that  his  earlier  writings,  such  as  his  polemics 
against  Anan  and  IJiwi,  served  him  as  a  sketch  for 
his  later  writings  on  Bible  and  philosophy.  And 
it  is  for  this  reason  that  our  text  contains  nothing 
in  the  line  of  philosophy  which  we  do  not  already 
know  from  his  philosophic  work. 

66  Ibid.,  XIX,  137. 


CHAPTER  II 

^bnn  *rti  mbais  by  fao  rnyo^  maiion  nso] 

bsb  ^xtq  irvrnb  "-nr^a  toj  omn  yr  -p  b?  i 

70  j  ran  lioap  d^os 
rwsrta  ab-i  --ircn  p  ■errh  ^htd  *d  rare  2 
rr  rvroa  b^n  w  *p  72*n2snb  7ini  b?  vbm 
:tBon  man  ]»  -nr  abi  an*  abn  -Txpn  ab 
y*  bD^  -s  ins  ibi  'inrcn  two  «t  lb  3 
■prcb  -inrbn  vrewn  *6n  wra  baa  -won 
:va*n  bnam  twib  Derail  n«r 
wrcn  B,,pxT   vrmsn   bs   m«  nmraa      4 

^Comp.  Harkavy,  rP"tPO  1*1  p^DT,  pp.  176  and  177,  1.  13; 
Poznanski,  "An  Ancient  Bookseller's  Catalogue,"  J.Q.R.,  XIII,  54, 
No.  71. 

«  MS  reads:   WTOO. 

<*  Comp.  Jer.  5,  3. 

t°  Prov.  1,  22. 

71  Eccles.  7,  10. 

?2  1  Sam.  15,  23. 

73  This  recalls  the  words  of  the  Midrash  (T3  IX,  5):   »"P#1  "n^l 

?nrr>,c  in  nosp:  rrabn  rra  dji:  dtw  abra  pttann  m» 
mmbs  ]7asy  mirtfb  "p-pri*  DTm  isinDinD©  rdpn  nss  aba 

PirPtt  "Q  nO-pS  "P^b .     This  parallel  was  brought  to  my  attention 

38 


CHAPTER  II 

[SAADIA'S   POLEMIC  AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI] 

i Therefore  hath  the  tree  of  life  been  with- 
held from  him,  that  he  be  a  warning  to  all  fools 
that  hate  knowledge. 

2.  Thou  hast  written,  that  the  Creator  was  on  His 
guard  against  the  one  created;  but  in  thy  stub- 
bornness thou  hast  not  inquired  wisely  concern- 
ing this.  For,  being  the  Creator  of  all  things, 
the  strength  of  His  hand  doth  not  wax  short;  He 
feareth  not  nor  doth  He  stand  in  awe  of  man 
whom  He  hath  restrained. 

3.  If  He  were  in  fear  of  him,  He  would  have  put 
him  to  death,  and  if  He  were  alarmed  lest  he  eat 
of  the  tree  [of  life]  He  would  have  cut  it  down. 
But  He  drove  him  out  and  did  not  cause  him  to 
forget  his  expulsion,  in  order  that  he  may  see 
the  Cherubim  who  bar  him  [the  way]  and  that 
his  anxiety  may  wax  great. 

4.  By  the  conduct  of  Adam  all  understanding  men 
are  admonished  and  do  not  turn  away  from  the 
ways  of  God;  but  they  who  are  godless  in  heart 


by  my  colleague,  Dr.  L.  Ginzberg.  I  take  this  opportunity  of  thank- 
ing him  also  for  the  references  given  below  in  notes  112,  120,  141,  168 
173,  176,  197,  202,  252. 

39 


40  saadia's  polemic 

aitai  74qa  WW  nb  wi  "p-HO"'  ab  orrnbtf 
»:,p,TOfcr  onbiaa  ^d  w  tfb  "]V&tv 
••jtspn  n^  ba  nn  rorao  raa  *n*D*  5 

toed  ^mb»n  "jbab  b"am  "tiro  atresia  nD 
abi  tttam  "5  tmm  79*ppb  ann  bran  *o»3,i 

j^wi  a« 
8ibbvim  toTnr  7:2b  mba  *«wi  na  cpa      6 
tpa  ba  iqpa  p  b?  "••rrnsi  aaraa  maiana 
:rmi  ^iiDBn  "•Dip*  may  d-t  ^  *-rrrn 
86  -rraa  nairan  -jnb*to  by  -pa  m*  7 

rm  p  tito:  Nb  wi  mra  ab  rrab  ma*  nictf 

7<  Comp.  Job  36,  13. 

"s  From  the  preceding  paragraphs  we  gather  that  Hiwi  asked  why 
Adam  was  not  allowed  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  knowledge.  Comp.  the 
parallel  in  the  Pahlavi  text,  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  i,  a. 

*  Comp.  Gen.  44,  1. 

77  Comp.  Ps.  66,  15.  78  !  Sam.  15,  9. 

79  comp.  b.  Joma  15b:  "pbp-iiab  mmnsn  cmntrpDi  nvowpD . 

Though  etymologically  ]1t3*,p  (koituv)  means  a  side  chamber,  it  may  be 
rendered  here  "sanctuary"  with  reference  to  5TOT1  TDTTO,  Gen.  4,3: 

•pE&nn  m«  rhy  ninpn©  mran  nrn»  by  'nb  nnD-o  nn^npm . 

Comp.  also  KT1B  ,  chap.  21.  Dr.  Ginzberg  suggested  to  me  the  reading 
of  ]I3pb  which  is  to  be  construed  as  a  verbal  noun  from  T3pb  (comp. 
Zunz,  Synagog.  Poesie,  p.  398,  for  analogous  formations).  According 
to  this  reading  the  phrase  should  be  rendered:  "The  elder  brought  a 
bundle  that  was  vile  and  refuse."  But  it  seems  to  me  that  the  b  of 
]I2pb  must  be  taken  as  a  preposition  modifying  the  verb  fc^in ,  just  as 
in  the  parallel  phrase  the  b  of  "(blob  modifies  the  verb  b^llil . 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  41 

lay  up  anger  and  are  deprived  of  good;  they  cry 
not  for  help,  because  they  are  bound  in  their 
folly. 

5.  When  his  sons  brought  offerings  God  favored  the 
younger,  because  he  brought  of  the  best  of  his 
fatlings  to  the  ruling  King:  what  was  vile  and 
refuse  that  the  elder  brought  to  the  sanctuary. 
So  He  let  him  know  that  he  was  despised;  but 
he  did  not  repent,  he  hated. 

6.  He  struck  his  brother,  and  God  inquired  of  him 
so  that  he  might  confess,  but  in  his  reply  he 
feigned  [innocence]  with  cunning  and  craft. 
Therefore  hath  God  wreaked  His  vengeance  on 
him  with  a  ruling  anger;  for  He  avengeth  the 
blood  of  His  servants  and  redeemeth  their  soul. 

7.  I  shall  reply  to  thy  question  with  a  strong  reply. 
Thou  sayest:  "Why  hath  He  not  guarded  him 
[Abel]  so  that  his  posterity  should  not  have  been 
destroyed?"  Thus  shouldst  thou  have  said 
if  there  were  but  one  world  and  one  habitation, 

80  Hiwi's  question  must  have  been  directed  against  Gen.  4,  9:  "And 
the  Lord  said  unto  Cain,  Where  is  Abel  thy  brother?"  For  a  parallel, 
comp.  below,  chap,  iii,  sees.  1,  6,  and  10,  b.  For  the  Rabbinic  interpre- 
tation of  this  passage,  comp.  Rashi,  ad  loc:  DHD  "Hm  1127  ODD^b 

.  7b  Tia tarn  Tnmn  ^a  -rasm  aw  ibna 

81  1  Sam.  21,  14. 

*3Ibid.  24,  n.    Comp.  Rashi,  Gen.  4,  9:  3TBP  TMDW  'VXTV  *6 

.rwbsn  nm 

83  Isa.  14,  6.  gs  Context  requires  0E?BD"1 . 

^Deut.  32,43.  86Jer.  8,  5. 


42  saadia's  polemic 

bna  Tina  8?n:nzn  ina  obi?  rrn  ib*»  THib  -jb 
tnrwb  ^nn  bsn  *vu  obi?  two 
wb  tp  •Dpic'ra  na  D-piowi  taw  btf  etc      8 
bD  baam  abi  -Dp]  obicb  »bar  dis  *obn  man 
ma  is^bnnb  btfb  nr  *3  9i-Dp?n  ytm  pnw 

92:op-n  nw  tfbi 
»bi  "rCl  maia  pEi*  tot  tfb  "5  -jr*  9 

nfitf  bib  or  izr  »*5  •rfttOa  oaro  b^-  ro  bin 
*:ra?  a[b]  "nctfb  ba  idtv  jo  -mtii  ipva 
msm  "brm  nrm  •crmcfl  "TO  b?  nbau:  -to      io 
»b  man  fo  rrab  *rtpm  own  'traajm  Tram 
:tnQi  rraTn  nn»  nbais  nba  bs  '^n;: 
(i  verso)  trw  roioblimba  "5  nam  ?h*]  n 

ibvm  •enmnwi  pnotan  n^o  xrr  -prab  -n^oM 
pnroa  m  abi  ■•©■*■»  nib  *raa  n  rowa 

■•jdttwi  ib-a 

«7  Comp.  isa.  45, 18:  msr  nnrcb . 

88  3d  sing.  perf.  of  TT3 .         *9  Deut.  32,  35.  90  Comp.  Job  6,  9. 

*  Post-Biblical  Nifal  of  Qp7 .  '2  Jer.  50,  9. 

«  ^3  is  used  here  in  the  sense  of  "J 35 .  *  Mai.  3,  18. 

9s  Construe  the  clause  as  if  it  read   ibirP  TOK  HTb  DTW^ 

9s  This  point  is  developed  at  greater  length  in  IWim  n"!D"lfttf  H  '0  , 
pp.  76-77.     Comp.  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,  I.    It  is  worth  noting  that 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  43 

but  since  there  is  a  second  world,  He  chose 
everything  with  a  view  for  reproof. 

8.  Let  them  not  rejoice  who  exercise  oppression  here 
[in  this  world],  for  at  the  time  when  their  foot 
shall  slide  there  [in  the  next  world]  He  will  choose 
to  pay  with  vengeance;  and  let  him  not  mourn 
who  is  oppressed  and  crushed  and  circumvented, 
for  God  can  change  it  into  good,  and  he  shall 
not  return  empty. 

9.  Because  the  oppressor  will  not  cease  from  putting 
forth  his  hand,  and  the  one  who  suffereth 
violence  will  not  always  rescue  his  possessions, 
therefore  there  is  a  day  when  everyone  will  be 
measured  by  His  law,  both  he  that  serveth  God 
and  he  that  serveth  Him  not. 

10.  Thou  hast  asked  further  concerning  the  kinds 
of  suffering;  hunger  and  sickness,  fear  and 
desolation  and  destruction,  and  heat  and  cold, 
why  they  are  not  kept  from  men.  All  these  are 
but  one  question' and  thou  hast  multiplied  words. 

11.  Know  thou  and  understand,  that  God  chastiseth 
His  creatures  for  their  good,  that  they  may 
know  the  pain  of  chastisement  and  the  bitterness 
thereof;  He  delivereth  them  to  it  that  they  may 
forbear  to  do  wrong.  For  they  would  not 
know  [what  punishment  was]  if  He  had  withheld 
[suffering]  from  them. 

the  Midrash  (TD  9,  10)  gives  a  different  reason:    'pTlO'1  flTO  *OT 

•  nnrn  **nb  o^an  m-nnn  nrp  brtc  aba  •  arrant*  ixn  mta 


44  saadia's  polemic 

*T>n*  ab  mbm  tbiarab  tVTDptn  nrann  mabi      12 
nbnra  t^bi  pr  "5a  "?bira  tp  abi  i?b  di«h 
ns  n»b  ■■vann  *a  cj#i  97,bi^b  ann  dVw 

"jbi^nni  maa 
•D*-nYB  D^m  izr  nba  bs  imwn*  13 

bp  •tnaia  ima  ur  Drrn'raa  divik  rrnsTDl 
obis  tw  d5id  to  t»  'trims  to  «b  na  nam 

-itr-cra  TO  tfb 
nb^nb  ioiia  --pb  nnvnb  TODHn  ^an  •^jw^s      14 
"l^bnb  Diaion  ran  it  ^  -im  npisi  mw 
in*  "piw  by  io3nnm  mo  "a  iw--iraa 
-ptp  "••Maibrrffi  d^std  D^sbb  idisd*  15 

ns  rob  -pen  nraa  'irnva  iosnn3n  bronatB  vcb 
DJ^n  arm  nn»  nna  ds  n6,maribB,i  anp  nrb 

imepa  ba 

w  Comp.  irVlttKn ,  p.  76  (see  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,j,  o). 

**  Prov.  24,  1. 

»A  paitanic  derivation  from  JlbXH  V  nbtf .  Comp.  Lam.  3,  65. 
See  also  Saadia,  rmrUM,  §59,  btfnnb  nTb  DOKTttl.  The  idea  is 
also  found  in  the  Midrash  (TH  ,  9,7):    by  nmfc  miM  HE  ''SMS 

•■pr>  ay  n^nba  an  n^n  d^isto  pT  bs  xbx  erynm 

.  pro  }n  aira  nntf  ^to 

100  Comp.  Zeph.  3,  9. 

101  MS  reads:  TfcC . 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  45 

12.  Thou  hast  expressed  wonder  and  amazement 
and  hast  asked  a  difficult  question,  "Why  doth 
man  not  live  forever  so  that  he  shall  not  go  down 
to  Sheol?"  Would  that  from  the  beginning  he 
were  created  to  be  in  the  world  that  is  to  come 
for  redemption,  but  thou  desirest  him  to  remain 
in  siege  and  under  a  curse. 

13.  Though  He  doth  all  these  things,  there  are  many 
who  yet  rebel,  and  though  He  frighteneth  them 
with  calamities,  there  are  [many]  who  are  yet 
faithless  to  His  decree.  How  much  more  if  they 
had  no  cause  to  fear.  They  would  then  all  with 
one  accord  not  serve  Him. 

14.  Is  it  wise  to  make  thy  image  live  forever,  or  to 
save  it  from  distress  and  anguish  and  trembling  ? 
What  knowledge,  dost  thou  judge,  will  save  thee 
from  falling  [into  ruin]  that  thou  hast  spoken 
rebellion  against  Him  who  dwelleth  forever? 

15.  For  the  scorners  judgments  and  stripes  are 
prepared,  Topheth  is  of  old  prepared  for  them 
in  wrath.  He  preserved  it  against  the  time  of 
trouble,  against  the  day  of  battle  and  war. 
Thou  also  like  one  of  them  wilt  share  the  anger 
of  the  God  of  vengeance. 

102  Comp.  Ps.  18,  37. 

»*  Jer.  28,  16. 

104  Prov.  19,  29. 

ios  Isa.  30,  33. 

106  Comp.  Job  38,  23. 


46  saadia's  polemic 

*bsi  •■pwi  rraa— ttimr-Tiv  ab  -p«  izmp      16 
whwioh  *ynm  inrnn  bw  ra  "*rwii  ab£ 
-p-^a  ran  -ymb  ionrwato  nrabai  io8y^zi 

"jyto  "nam  "•■pbr 
•man  "mrn  ntfEitt  -pa  *a  nn  m*  17 

t#  wemtrn  tp  nw  wip*  ab  two  to  "a 
ran   D'Wip  -Dicr   ms   110*0   DTB^na  fb 

ibis  '"pri  ara  win  nwffw  "♦rvittattn  pi      18 
nbb  ibw  rrai  ni*«{awo  mtr  »bi  iisd*  ^a  dtd 
118 :  -jnb  rcna  "oaa  ibk  bani  ■'■pa  rare  bs  nia 
II9.no„  ^  p£  rvoirra  rratf  wi*  19 

bD  p  -iom  nasi  mbra  mawna  TDTba  ntDDtt 

I07  Comp.  the  expression  nS122  Xb"Q  DEfi  ntDtf  (6.  Shabbath  152a). 
«*Comp.   6.   TVaw/A    16a:    ITO    p»    QE1TMD    DTtfb    nail 

•  rib-aa  ib  nnby  ab  obtain  ma^  ban  bnta  nb^s^TD 

^  Comp.  Mishnah  Kelim  2, 1 :  "jnirVB  8m  }nTaiD  ....  OIH  ^D . 

110  Job  35,  4. 

111  1  Sam.  21,  9. 

"3Comp.  Mishnah  Niddah  5,  1:    "p»at3a  )PX  ^p  bWl  1TH 

7"inn  jnama  asnt?  -iy;  also  b.  Niddah  41k  B'nnon  rfQ  naanta 

"3  The  topic  discussed  in  sees.  16,  17  is  developed  at  length  in 
nniTQ^n ,  pp.  76,  100.    Comp.  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,  k,  m. 
"4  Read:  D^WOn .  «*  Job  14,  n. 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  47 

16.  "How  is  it,"  sayest  thou,  "that  He  hath  not 
formed  him  (man)  holy  from  within  and  from 
without;  for,  what  availeth  a  vessel  full  of 
excrement  that  it  be  washed.  Thou  hast  likened 
him  unto  an  unclean  reptile  and  unto  an  earthen 
vessel  which  remain  unclean  though  washed. 
Behold,  I  shall  answer  thee,  though  my  reply 
be  in  haste. 

17.  Know  thou  that  there  is  nothing  unclean  in  the 
innermost  parts  of  man,  that  all  his  fluids  are 
not  called  unclean  until  they  separate  [from  the 
body].  Therefore,  when  they  have  separated 
as  their  Maker  hath  ordained,  they  are  indeed 
clean  from  within  and  from  without. 

18.  Only  for  them  that  are  unclean  with  the  un- 
cleanliness  of  wickedness  may  est  thou  weep. 
The  waters  will  fail  from  the  sea,  but  he  who 
causeth  confusion  will  not  be  cleansed.  For 
what  availeth  the  heart  of  an  infidel  all  the 
waters  of  the  spring  since  God  hath  said,  "Wash 
thy  heart  from  wickedness"  ? 

19.  And  again  thou  hast  said  that  He  hath  inbred 
evil  thoughts  in  him  (man)  and  hast  failed  to 


116  A  paitanic  derivation  of  *pK .  Comp.  ^JlSH  XDp^OB  ,  sees. 
29,30  (ed.  Friedmann,  p.  1376):  'pb'tt'l  ■pDSttRTO  D^Wn  '1  Wl 
where  *|2X  is  used  in  the  sense  of  entanglement. 

"7  Comp.  Job  38,  16.  "8  Jer.  4,  14. 

"'Isa.  28,  16.  Hiwi's  question  undoubtedly  dealt  with  Gen.  6,  5; 
8,  21. 


48  saadia's  polemic 

abi  -man  n«  iwrr  ■"•wrrra  WT  I203n  ptt 

i22:[i]c3nn  n« 
ynnsn  *,nw  lit:  xb  nsn  "S  [nftaa  Tp«       20 
•no^^b    nnbi   i25[-p]nnb    onanffl   "••[tflro-n* 

(2  recto)     *-*B&a    ^     ffi3Yt1     b31    I26Dr^n   II    "aSBft* 

ursam  rvarcn  •Vtfflrt  rora,,  rro*  21 

•wtob  Trm  nbjn  ^'m*  ■•"isn  ■••wra 

120  Comp.  VQ1  XSTlp^DD,  sec.  31  (ed.  Friedmann,  p.  1436):   TttR 

xnb?E  to  swna  xnn^TD  -nnx  an  p©  in  an  -trh  ropn  ib 
xnpsD  *m  nfei.  comp.  also  x^insn ,  sec.  i**\t  §3:  rnpn  b"a 
na  nm  inn  rooaaan  na  nan-iiD  *-i  prcb  ntm  nna  n©iab 

.  rmafrh 
»'  Comp.  Ps.  31, 14:  *b*  im  mcnnn. 

122  The  same  proverb  is  also  cited  by  Burckhardt  in  his  Arabic 
Proverbs  (London,  1875),  No.  134. 

"3  Hiwi's  question  must  have  dealt  with  Gen.  6,  5-6.  For  a  parallel 
in  the  Pahlavi  text,  see  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  1,  c. 

124  Gen.  6,  6.  Ibn  Ezra,  ad  loc,  quotes  Saadia's  interpretation 
anonymously:  "jmnb  "jb  Dn:nfc  TM  Dnm  "O  D^ttia  TD'n 
IDni^Kin  Ssi  TyTt  im©"lS'1T,  but  in  Gen.  27,  42  he  mentions 
Saadia  by  name:  "pttbl  thl  mtttt  Itttf  pawm  ....  Dmntt 

"s  Gen.  27,  42. 

126  This  interpretation  agrees  with  Saadia's  Arabic  translation  of 
this  verse  (comp.  (Euvres  completes  de  R.  Saadia,  I,  12):  b^ltf*! 
Dnnibp  *>btf  npEmbtf,  i.e.,  "He  brought  grief  into  their  [men's] 
heart."  It  is  worth  noting  that  this  interpretation  of  23KW1  is 
already  found  in  Targum  Onkelos,  ad  loc:  "Qntt3  •THE^'Hl  "113X1 
mrWQ  'prPBp'in  ,  except  that  Saadia  takes  nib  to  refer  to  DISH 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  49 

mention  the  thoughts  of  peace  and  truth  and 
loving-kindness.  So  doth  every  wicked  neigh- 
bor act  when  he  taketh  counsel,  he  counteth 
the  gain  but  not  the  loss. 

20.  It  is  false  what  thou  hast  said  that  He  saw  that 
He  made  what  was  not  good.  The  meaning  of 
Dfin  ("it  repenteth  Him")  is  like  the  meaning 
of  "pnb  DTOnttD  ("he  planneth  to  kill  thee") 
and  give  thee  for  a  spoil.  "It  grieved  Him" 
meaneth  He  caused  them  to  grieve,  and  so  are 
[to  be  interpreted]  all  similar  utterances  relating 
to  the  works  of  our  God  done  unto  His  creatures. 

21.  The  expression  "He  rested  and  was  refreshed" 
is  to  be  interpreted  "He  caused  others  to  rest 

mentioned  previously,  while  Onkelos  takes  it  to  refer  to  God.     Comp. 

Rashi,  ad  he.:  Tawrrea  nb?  -Dip*  brcnnb  ba  'trttrramrn 

"1D"1  "Q^nb  Dlptt  btD.  Dr.  Ginzberg  called  my  attention  to  the 
fact  that  Saadia  opposes  here  the  literal  interpretation  of  the  Midrash 

0"n  27,  7):  D'nttia  nna  "pa  b"x  •p*3"n  na  bxin  ins  nh$ 
inb  ba  3X?m  TFO  am  :*pn  b"a  ?nbi:n  na  nam  nip™ 
■p  b"tf  ■  :abna  abna  n*t»  -anvnn  anvnn  n*im  b"x  .... 

.  nnpn  ^Dsb  ntD*ia 

"7  Comp.  Isa.  13,  1. 

I28Exod.  31,  17.     Comp.  his  Arabic  translation,  ad  loc:    Xnbt37 

.  annsna  n 

I2' Gen.  17,  22.     In  his  Arabic  translation  he  renders  the  phrase 

nviba  b^n  by  nbba  *na  sams.  comp.  also  nrvnaan,  P.  53: 
^np3T»  *nnn  *nan  in  D->m  -o»  w  aaprm  tq»  w 
ttttti  mb?b  Tanvn  -nbn  nrasD  i"i  ^b^  ma»  mr?xi  -nrottJ 

.aonn 

I30Gen.   11,  5.     Comp.   Arabic   translation:    Sntttf  nbbtf  TTttW 


50  saadia's  polemic 

■pi  -fir»  a"»m  rrsn  ••awm.  i3i"nM\, 
"riyiw  trm  isspi  "isa„ 
7r  *d  ^-TDiasb  iptxn  rfrmn  fro  iwibin      22 
rim-ib  mab  rm  •tra"  mmrtpn  ten  ww  ^ 
^owtrw  totd3  rav  b:n  *#wnm  d-ots  ■panam 

:  tray  n*Mto  mhn 
»bm ■  ?  rrbsn  «b  Dm  -p*  „  ** :  nriss  *  23 

rmsrn  mawm  "irrbsn  Dnrarui  rrazn  ore 
irrsrbn  rrwib  rrtaarn  rrwra  -rrrm  q»rrmu  n 
swan  •nrrsva  mb»  -cr  ^^nttsn  sbnnn      24 
»bm  *-,?nrroB  irasab  d-jd  Kb  town  rtc  ma* 


*»*  Ps.  104,  31.  «a  Gen.  6,  6. 

x*3  Ps.  30,  6.  The  method  of  exegesis  adopted  in  the  last  two  para- 
graphs (20,  21),  which  has  its  aim  to  remove  anthropomorphism  from 
the  Bible,  is  dwelt  upon  at  length  in  the  second  chapter  of  TflmMSn , 
PP-  51?  54-     Comp.  also  sec.  64,  below,  and  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,/,  h. 

«*  Gen.  1,  28.  *36  Comp.  Job  34,  17. 

w  Deut.  11, 6.  «» Ibid.  18,  20. 

^  Comp.  Kalir,  Kerobot  for  the  second  day  of  Passover:    nSD 

.ion  Tan 

J39  Comp.  Judg.  9,  49.  I4°  Comp.  Ps.  107,  27. 

■•  This  seems  to  be  based  on  the  Midrash  (T3  xi,  11):  nDtfb'KS'E 

nsab'Q'B  abi  own  nDsbrti  ab  nn«  abi  nmn  i^bi? 
nDxb'o  imp  own  btE?  nwinciB  pna  ....  D^-ran 
iett  ^bD  ns  awm  i-ona  na  "n  nns>  ora  *a  rrw»>  towo 

.  »in  nDxbtt  id 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  51 

and  to  be  refreshed."  "He  went  up"  and  "He 
went  down"  meaneth  "He  caused  others  to 
go  up  and  to  go  down."  "He  rejoiceth"  and 
"He  grieveth"  implieth  that  He  caused  others 
to  rejoice  and  to  grieve,  and  so  [interpret]  "His 
anger"  and  "His  wrath"  and  "in  His  favor  is 
life." 

22.  He  first  blessed  His  creatures  to  subdue  the 
earth,  though  He  knew  that  they  will  corrupt 
and  that  all  their  substance  will  wither;  that 
they  will  become  a  warning  forever  and  that  the 
faithful  will  restrain  himself  when  he  thinketh 
of  their  fate;  that  they  who  come  after  shall  be 
astonished  at  their  day  and  God  will  be  ap- 
parelled in  majesty. 

23.  "How  was  it,  then,"  thou  hast  asked,  "that  He 
did  not  prosper  their  way?"  But,  indeed,  He 
hath  made  their  strength  to  grow  and  their 
understanding  to  thrive,  and  hath  caused  them 
to  improve  and  to  blossom  forth,  and  He  hath 
fortified  them  and  enlarged  them  and  hath 
taken  care  of  them  and  hath  promised  to  reprove 
them  and  then  to  give  them  peace. 

24.  May  thy  wit  be  at  its  end,  thou  who  arguest 
against  God  with  reproach;  who  sayest,  "Why 
hath  He  not  rested  from  judgment  and  reckon- 
ing?" But  indeed  He  who  hath  created  the 
whole  universe  by  His  word  doth  not  tire,  nor 


52  SAADIA  S  POLEMIC 

»*  »bi  £pr  ab  -rTrrra  «-q  iabtfi  obwi  to 

.rwian  man  n*  nnnirs  ht  nsb*  jnbaiz:      25 
i-nzob  Db^  ^rranarn  rrnn  wthrn  C[Wi  Dj 
rrnro  wj!  rin^i  ■"r.rnrwa  tbj  am  isn:a 

rnaan 
■"•prwrip  otto  ^nT-j  T«mn  fto*  ^ron      26 
irvrran  *"»  'Ran  ab  »vn  na  tup  ab  rab 
^wi  D3?  p+ri  iw  cjMi  'Rpraa  "tain  nrm 

:  ntanbb 
p*TS  bs  •■jDibnn  ■•^papi  n:p£  bs  Wfftt  bp      27 
[^]--qto  ddh  bs  nru?  ■  -pann  rra  "D»  d«  d-e™ 
^■pwi  pw  I49bbi?nn  rob-b?  ^  •■par 
nil  -nnDira  b^a  na  DBtft)  oa  osm  p-nx      28 

143  This  is  another  case  where  Saadia  ignores  the  Midrash  when  the 
question  of  anthropomorphism  is  involved. 

143  Hiwi's  question  was  directed  against  Gen.  6,  7,  13.     Comp.  b. 
Sanhedrin  108a:    HXt2n  TO  rfiOTD  atsn  D^K  DK . 

'"Comp.  dVw,  end  of  chap,  iv:    Hipn  H^E  D^nm  TTCbTDl 

na-naah  ma^an  bnpn  p  iba  rtna  nr  Dia  -en  na .  b.  SanhedHn 

38a  has  rtfT  instead  of  Htt^a .     Comp.  also  fcO"!  10TM0  8,  14. 
«*  Comp.  Isa.  29,  24. 

^6  comp.  m  28,  5:  iban  ntrts  ]ma  itttod  ab  jrnK 

.  ntrbs  Dma  nn^nwa 

"7  Gen.  18,  23. 


AGAINST   EEIWI   AL-BALKHI  53 

doth  He  become  fatigued;    He  judgeth  them 
with  His  breath. 

25.  Thou  hast  asked,  "Why  was  the  earth  destroyed 
together  with  man,  also  the  fowl  and  creeping 
things,  the  beasts  and  the  cattle?"  All  of 
them  were  created  for  his  [man's]  glory  and  they 
were  of  one  disposition  with  him,  therefore  were 
they  drawn  after  him  unto  destruction  and 
desolation. 

26.  Thou  hast  complained:  "Why  hath  He  left  a 
remnant  of  the  seed  of  evildoers  ?  "  But  where- 
fore should  He  not  have  left  Noah  since  he  hath 
not  sinned.  Had  He  destroyed  him,  thou 
wouldst  have  said,  "Doth  He  consume  in  flame 
the  righteous  together  with  the  wicked!" 

27.  If  concerning  cattle  and  worldly  goods  thou  corn- 
plainest,  how  much  more  wouldst  thou  complain 
if  the  righteous  and  the  pure  were  lost  ?  Now 
every  wise  man  can  understand  from  thy  words 
that  thou  art  mocking  and  practicing  deceit. 

28.  If  a  righteous  and  wise  man  hath  a  controversy 
with  a  foolish  man,  whether  he  be  angry  or 
laugh  there  will  be  no  rest.  Thus  turnest  thou 
about  to  find  slander  that  may  be  spread,  and 

n*Ezek.  38,  12. 

149  Comp.  Num.  22,  29. 

«°Comp.   Sifra,   CWHp,   sec.   3,   chap,    vi:     lbtf    -133WI    *6 


54  SAADIA  S  POLEMIC 

•nnbirj  nm  tfirab  [-jslnnn  -p  isi*nrt3  pii  prroi 
is2:nnp^  tna  *pa  tni  nbn  br  nbarai 
rearo  ana  *a  ■""Tons  ma  irnbs  are  rranTB      29 
13b  ima  msab  nanaii  b?  -p  br  ••■nm  ba  tesd 
(2  verso)    wj-^wjllsmyi  ftfinaa  -run  "a  im  frab  •tea 
nb«TD  *p»  -wa^n  Kb  rrab  nam  mn  tr  br      30 
abi  di»  rvfena  abb  D3  .Ttrm  who  Ta*ni 
:rerr  na  pro  nns  nrn  "bis  is6  •  ininp 
ht  •pom  'Jtm  isa  anbnb  •a  n?jib  ntaw      31 
•binn  ^b  atari  "pa  m  *pm  it  -bn  cfw  wip» 
:Vwn  nro  "a  rran  m&&\ 
•■p  aire  abi  *nia»  D-brss  d^tb*  32 

151  Prov.  29,  9. 

*■  Comp.  Gen.  8,  21. 

J53  Pass.  part,  of  "IDE  .     Comp.  mntf  1,1. 

x"Lev.  17,  11. 

155  This  question  is  dealt  with  in  "IiVnOKn,  pp.  72-73.     Comp. 
below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,  i,  "T . 

^  Comp.  "va  ix,  7:  mo  ann  tr  w  -nn  tt  m  -i»b  mo 
abn  r^n  on»  roa  ab  ynn  -up  ^bibaE  aba  •arrona  *nn  Tira 

.  dtd  Tbm  abn  n«K  airo 

IS?  Comp.,  however,   b.  Sanhedrin   loga:   ....  mfD  '3b  IpbnD 

.ranbra  nrasn  nb?D  mtna  nnai 

158  For  the  use  of  CHE  in  the  sense  of  "angels,"  comp.  Dan.  12,  1 

and  -re™,  8,  14:  b^STDttiu  to  no^b  rwifcHa  JTTtt  rvnpn  pa 
nb^-nb  rmiD.   Comp.  also  below,  §36,  wm  *6  pbn  ina  c» 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  55 

hast  asked  concerning  fat  and  blood,  how  they 
could  be  accepted  as  sweet  savor. 

29.  Our  God  hath  explained  its  meaning  in  the  Law 
handed  down  to  us,  that  the  life  of  all  flesh  is 
in  the  blood,  therefore  hath  He  given  it  to  us 
to  bring  on  the  altar  as  an  atonement  that  we 
may  remember  that  we  are  but  flesh  and  thereby 
be  humbled  and  reproved. 

30.  Concerning  the  evil  Yezer  thou  hast  inquired, 
why  He  hath  not  removed  him.  But,  indeed, 
thou  hast  asked  thereby  to  remove  His  com- 
mandments and  His  prohibitions.  Perhaps, 
thou,  O  fool!  who  counselest  his  Creator,  desirest 
also  that  neither  man  nor  his  habitation  should 
have  been  created. 

31.  Thou  hast  gone  astray  in  saying  that  they  built 
the  tower  [of  Babel]  to  wage  war.  This  asser- 
tion of  thine  is  false  and  must  end.  It  is  thine 
evil  way  not  to  desist  from  falsehood,  and  because 
thou  pridest  thyself  of  evil  thou  hast  repeated 
it  twice. 

32.  Thou  hast  said  that  the  "Nephirim,"  the  [fallen] 
angels  [built  the  Tower  of  Babel],  but  it  is  not 
written  so,  for  it  is  also  said  that  the  "Nephilim" 
were  in  Hebron  in  the  days  of  Moses.    And  thou 

D'HtDb.     As  to  the  Nephilim  being  the  fallen  angels,  comp.  Pseudo 
Jonathan,  Gen.  6,  4:    Tim  tiPCM  p  lbS3  JW1   b»T*n  WnEE 

•pa^n  a^ra  ariao  and  bran  w-rra ,  ad  be. 


56  saadia's  polemic 

nnaffi  i6o,,p  *fiD«a  o^sa  ffora  "»ntDB  rcra  ^ 

onsTD  bbni  "p»  *^ma  arrna  Dcawib  Dion 

^.ipw  psan 
irsnn  TrtbYD  i63n^snn  nnTO  tto*  33 

ma  "0  ^nrfropb  ab  nnina  ba  rraa  i64  nibir 
irrn  am  'niVwa  nsrb  rmwb  araan  bar 
irYteb  i66-ic*r  vba  inawai 
wta  -no»  'nnn  bnn  ^3  b*  ynsb  dyis  na  34 
**n  i68qcarnb  tor  Dm  *#l*nitt  nbwji,,  vsm 
*:mnn  bs  *B  bs  arm  diee  pb  "nan  ab 
13b  lottr  abi  "•tran  cru*  iptr*  35 

•tarrmna  tmmpa  ^"cra  iab  p*  *!a  bbaa  •■crrtn 


*»  Comp.  Num.  13,  33. 

160  Read  p  D3  "TJ2XD .  Hiwi  seems  to  have  maintained  that  the 
fallen  angels  built  the  Tower  of  Babel,  to  which  Saadia  objected  on  the 
ground  that  the  Nephilim  are  also  mentioned  in  the  days  of  Moses. 
Dr.  Ginzberg  suggested  to  me  that  p  TD£W  is  an  abbreviation  for 
'"p  *nnS  OX\u  n^X3  ,  referring  to  the  phrase  p  "HnS  Dm  in  Gen. 
6,  4:  i.e.,  while  Hiwi  took  the  phrase  to  refer  to  the  builders  of  the  Tower 
of  Babel,  Saadia  maintained  that  it  referred  to  the  Nephilim  of  the  time 
of  Moses.  He  also  brought  to  my  attention  two  passages  ascribed  to 
Eupolemos,  in  one  of  which  it  is  stated  that  the  Giants  who  escaped  the 
Deluge  founded  the  city  of  Babylon  and  built  the  renowned  Tower, 
and  in  the  other  of  which  it  is  said  that  Giants  dwelt  in  Babylonia  and 
on  account  of  their  impiety  were  destroyed  by  the  Gods  through  a 
deluge,  but  Belos  who  escaped  death  settled  in  Babylonia  and  built 
a  tower  which  was  named  after  him.  (Comp.  J.  Freudenthal,  Helle- 
nist ische  Studien,  I,  92.) 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  57 

hast  said  that  God  was  in  fear  of  them  to  provoke 
them  with  anger,  but  He  hath  confounded  their 
language  and  hath  scattered  them  from  dwelling 
together. 

33.  Thou  speakest  still  with  exceeding  perverseness 
and  seekest  things  unjust  not  one  of  which  doth 
agree  with  the  other;  for  what  can  the  one 
created  do  unto  Him  who  createth  all  deeds, 
who  gathereth  unto  himself  his  spirit  and  his  soul 
when  He  chooseth  to  make  an  end  of  him  ? 

34.  Noah  commanded  them  to  spread  upon  the 
face  of  the  inhabitable  world,  as  it  is  written 
of  his  children;  "and  of  these  was  [the  whole 
earth]  overspread/ '  whereas  they  planned  to 
gather  together.  But  God  did  not  wish  it, 
therefore  hath  He  scattered  them  abroad  upon 
the  face  of  all  the  highways. 

35.  Many  servants  there  be  that  are  righteous,  yet 
their  history  is  not  told  unto  us,  because  there 

l6l'Hiwi's  idea  that  God  feared  the  men  who  built  the  tower  must  have 
been  based  on  Gen.  11,6:  TfWA  TOP  TB8  bo  DPIE  "\»1  *6  nnn . 

162  Comp.  Gen.  11,  9.  l6s  Comp.  Exod.  26,  5. 

163  Comp.  Prov.  2,  12.  l66  Job  34,  14. 
l6<  Comp.  Ps.  64,  7.                                 l67  Gen.  9,  19. 

168  Comp.  pttl  to  Gen.  11,2:   mn  ft&B  ffntftt  OTBn  Wm 

.  D"nmroa  -im  vmo  aba  onn 

l65>Gen.  11,  9. 

o 

^  MS  reads  D*H237  D'DI ,  but  the  diacritic  mark  over  D'HIS?  indi- 
cates the  transposition,  or  perhaps  the  entire  omission,  of  that  word. 
^Prov.  1,  3. 


58  saadia's  polemic 

nnai  i73#Drn  xvnb  13b  are  i72-p?jn  aa  rrawi 
i74:ona  n:  ab  D^a^n  bs  mrtm 
n^abi  •D'narn  D^nban  wph  nscb  ^b  he  36 
T?  on  ■"•trroi  n^irm  ^i  pbn  ina  ifk  i76nD 
nb  Tea  p  by  i78-D^^n^n  teta  inbro  mt>p 
itrraflaa  i79"^b  -b„  mba 
oa  "iw  ^sb  nn  nmn  n^^n  nan*  37 

abm  i8o'*or  rab  "wan  ab  nna  TO  ttik  ira 
fttfw  irai  "ns  bs  *-TM  ba  iw  pn  v6it  cbs 

v*  Gen.  17,  14. 

^comp.  Ti6o,  8:  ]mira  ma»  via  "nay  bra  ]nrpE  w 
narnon  mnK  urn  n^si  'm  d^w  -irybs  bra  inims  D^a  bra 

J74  Ezek.  7,  ii.  According  to  Rashi's  interpretation  of  OrD  H3  fc$b"l 
pb«  lb  iniDI  JMWO  "nnK  nni3  nnn  pK)  we  might  render 
the  last  clause  of  this  stanza  as  follows:  "Thou,  however,  hast  said  that 
as  to  all  others  there  was  no  one  among  them  who  followed  the  Lord." 

•»  Ps.  50,  16. 

rf  In  the  MS  there  is  a  stroke  through  the  word  ^D  . 

^In  nHTB&Kl,  p.  53,  Saadia  voices  the  same  objection:  comp. 
below,  chap,  iii,  sees.  4,  g;  6,  b.  This  is  another  instance  where  Saadia 
rejects  the  opinion  of  the  Midrash,  for  Hiwi's  view  is  found  in  several 
Agadic  passages.     Comp.  8T1D ,  chap.  24:    nap«"l  btEJ  lb*T!}  bSDl 

•jTobi  "jTob  ba  by  ^Kbia  rem  ....  nma  byi  nmaa  by .   in 

Fa/&«*  ha-Makhiri  Ps.  55,  2  the  version  is  Dmitf  by  bTttH  bS3*l 

ibs:  bamm  mai»i  rnais  ba  by  -jsbE  nam  ....  wt  by-i 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  59 

is  no  instruction  to  be  gotten  from  their  deeds, 
but  the  deeds  of  the  Father  of  Multitudes  are 
written  that  we  may  be  taught  by  them.  Thou, 
however,  hast  said  [that  as  to]  all  others  there 
was  no  one  of  distinction  among  them. 

36.  What  right  hast  thou  to  qualify  the  plain  statutes 
of  God  and  say  that  one  man  [Abraham]  is  God's 
portion  and  the  rest  [of  mankind]  is  that  of  the 
[tutelary]  angels,  also  that  one  small  city 
[Jerusalem]  is  of  all  fortified  cities  His  possession, 
therefore  hath  God  said  to  him  [Abraham], 
"Go  thee"! 

37.  It  is  an  evil  report  that  thou  hast  brought  and 
hast  shouted  to  strangers.  For,  if  God  hath 
[chosen]  but  one  man  and  one  city,  who  would 
remember  the  rest  [of  mankind]?  For,  verily, 
there  is  none  beside  Him,  and  there  is  no  strange 
God  with  Him;  whether  angel  or  great  man 
languisheth  and  is  troubled. 

iWnbn  ipbnb.     Comp.  also  Wertheimer,  miDTra  TO,  II,  p.  14: 

»bi  npbnb  nbra  ^b^b  fttthn  maw  bD  ib-inn  n»bm  t^ei 
.  vnna  wn  nab  nmntf  tiVit  nnpn  pbnb  -i»«a 

**  Comp.  b.  Zebahim  uga:  D^BTrT  IT  nbriD  . 

^Gen.  12,  1. 

180  This  clause  is  translated  as  if  it  read  finX  Ttfl  intf  ETX  DK 

"OP  ^  -ItfEn  'bab,  the  last  b  of  btfb  has  by  mistake  been  trans- 
ferred to  ^"D . 

l8lDeut.  32,  12. 


60  saadia's  polemic 

•D-anrna  Dian  ■oa  *ra«  nwiDba  t)  rcrr  ab      38 
bnn  ttfi  -trawl  bs  mba  rarr  rorraba  on 
ncrtn  nbtjoa  -crarttc  vb*  tpbm  mbwi  izran 
-itraiwn  anba  w  foot  "Wi 
i&op3  *D8  *"wpb*n  ttab,  ■naii»*  39 

(3  recto)  -bnsnn  sra  )hkt:d  ^s-rcni  -jinna  ll  nrwi  i8s*bni  d? 
npw  nsio  "a  -,a  i86*bnDb  mao  ab  nrr  nsu:  »bm 

*:ba*raa  pi  bw 
■pa  ab  o^rn,  'trinann  bira  naa*  -ims      40 
pbn  ba  rrss  nna  p  -,#*tr«wi  ip  161  o^arm 
Drawn  ^nb»  ■*&  -n  »nrran  **tranp3n  nbrai 

*jm6tti  ban 

183  The  idea  expressed  in  this  paragraph  is  that  ]TB23  H*T1PI  mi*T 
Dltf  "OH.  It  is  more  fully  elaborated  in  "TiTVDXn,  p.  52.  Comp. 
below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,  /. 

Ig3  Num.  20,  5. 

184  Read  DH,  or  else  construe  D^  in  the  sense  of  WQtf  ;  comp. 
Gen.  47,  18. 

l8s  Deut.  32,  6.  l86  Prov.  17,  7.  l8?  1  Chron.  15,  27. 

188  Professor  Goldziher  and  my  colleague,  Professor  Friedlaender, 
have  each  suggested  that  this  is  very  likely  an  erroneous  rendering  of  the 
Arabic  proverb  cited  by  Damiri  (ed.  1284),  II,  422:   &oljuJ|    Jouo 

Jt-^    y*     ^fJo    ^1    i.e.,  "Like  the  ostrich  neither  bird  nor  camel." 

This  proverb  if  correctly  rendered  should  therefore  have  read: 
DibTMH  )12  tfbl  D^HSSn  )T2  *6  D  W^Pl  lED .  Professor  Goldziher 
explains  that  D^STDIDn  was  used  instead  of  D^bttSn  because  the  original 


AGAINST  ?IWI  AL-BALKHI  6 1 

38.  Thou  dost  not  know  that  in  the  language  by 
which  men  express  their  love,  in  that  very  lan- 
guage God  exalts  all  those  who  are  beloved  unto 
Him;  they  are  beloved  unto  Him  like  man's 
lot  and  his  possession  and  his  portion;  nay,  they 
who  are  God-fearing  are  even  dearer  unto  Him 
than  such  treasures. 

39.  [On  the  other  hand]  they  who  said,  "Wherefore 
have  ye  made  us  to  come  up  [out  of  Egypt"], 
were  called  foolish  people.  Thou,  however,  on 
account  of  thy  abuse  and  blasphemy  art  be- 
coming disgraced.  Indeed,  fine  speech  be- 
cometh  not  a  fool,  much  less  do  lying  lips 
cloaked  with  mischief  and  iniquity. 

40.  As  the  proverb  of  the  Arabs  says,  "The  ostriches 
neither  see  nor  carry  burdens,"  so  hast  thou 
turned  to  those  who  are  called  portion  and 
possession  and  hast  disregarded  that  to  God,  thy 
Lord,  are  the  Heavens,  the  world  and  the  fulness 
thereof. 

may  have  read  J-t^  instead  of  J^^  .  But  aside  from  the  fact  that 
Saadia's  knowledge  of  Arabic  was  too  sound  to  suppose  such  a  mis- 
understanding on  his  part,  the  word  D^X^H  remains  unexplained.  My 
colleague,  Professor  Ginzberg,  suggests  the  reading:  "JTO  fc$b  D^DS^n 
D^EIOn  yu  tfbl  D^fcnn.  In  either  case  the  application  of  the 
proverb  to  the  context  is  somewhat  obscure. 

l89  Construe  the  phrase  as  if  it  read  r6n31  pbn  D'Wpsn  ba  rV^D  . 
^Comp.  Hos.  4,  17. 
'»'  Comp.  Ps.  89,  12. 


62  SAADIA'S  POLEMIC 


'"•ntrvjab  "mm  I92n^nn  b?  nmyb*  41 

■o  -manna  rnowi  abn  wi»i  am  p»  ^bm 
tin  rferan  nan  -ntaqpa   dwo  mbvn  nra 

I9s:nt:b7j7j  DhTi  nscin 
»rra  ^  "rawni  i96-ba  ta»a  cpcnm  twa  ip*      42 
Dcp  abi  apra  era  Kb  nb-bn  wiban  ptr  fan 
198  :bs  b?s  ma  tai  "ra&r  n?D  -ia-vara 
'"•D-uiron  "aw  rrr  na  m  ww  abi*  43 

-tr 35*05  enseal  ^airsa  ■wa  wnn  ran  *a 
obs  bn«  -D-n-jina  nmxp  tn  D'ws  iTO  d»i 
ja-area  abi  obttE  nsca  Kb 


'^Comp.  Gen.  17,  n. 

m  Read  WWII . 

'^  Comp.  Lev.  21,  5. 

wComp.  Mishnah  Nedarim  III,  11:  bttE  TO  DbttJ  *npa  »b , 
also  b.  Nedarim  32a.  Saadia  dwells  upon  this  subject  in  irVlUOTJ , 
p.  73.     Comp.  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,  i,  T . 

^  Comp.  Gen.  17,  5;  Neh.  9,  7,  and  T2 ,  chap.  39, 11  (ed.  Theodor, 
p.  375,  note  6):  T3TD  b?   71  SPOTO  "Wri  "P3E  rfnMTl. 

«w  Comp.  6.  £os/*  Hashanah  16b:  btt>  "I3"H  in  'pinp'O  CHIT  'T 

nttto  mm  "o  -nm  he©  na  anpn  ab  inrctf  -nm  apron  nra?T2 

nm»  tTDnai  S^ron .  Maimonides  (rQTlDn  niDbn ,  II,  4)  seems 
to  feel  that  this  is  open  to  the  charge  of  soothsaying  and  therefore 
explains  Dtt  ^TW  by  saying  WtXn  im»  ^3W  in»  *»3»  WlbD 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  63 

41.  Thou  hast  mocked  the  Covenant  [of  Abraham] 
and  hast  likened  it  to  mutilation.  But,  indeed, 
men  do  not  start  life  without  the  imprint  of  a 
mark,  for  from  the  time  of  their  birth  their  navel 
is  shrunk  and  circumcision  likewise  saveth  life 
from  a  thing  that  is  superfluous. 

42.  [Abram]  was  dear  unto  Him  so  He  enlarged  his 
name  [to  Abraham]  which  thou  hast  considered 
an  enchantment.  But  doth  God  practice  sooth- 
saying? Far  be  it  from  Him.  "There  is  no 
enchantment  with  Jacob,  neither  is  there  any 
divination  with  Israel  and  now  shall  it  be  said 
of  them  what  God  hath  wrought.' ' 

43.  And  there  is  no  contradiction  between  the  two 
verses  (Gen.  22,  17;  Deut.  7,  7)  for  his  (Abra- 
ham's) children  were  the  fewest  in  their  own 
eyes  though  their  numbers  were  like  the  stars. 
And  though  many  times  parts  of  them  were 
counted,  yet  all  of  them  were  never  completely 
counted  or  written  down. 


*#  Comp.  Num.  23,  23. 

■»  The  reference  is  to  Gen.  22, 17:  ^IDIDD  "pIT  nX  mnS  rO^TTl 
DTBTDn,  and  Deut.  7,  7-  DTD**!  bDtt  t3?En  DDtf  'O. 

200  Comp.  Rashi  to  Deut.  7,  7:  DDES*  'pT32tt,nn  'ttfttn  DDK  *0  ; 
also  b.  Hulin  89a;  pEttM  Dn«  nbTO  DDb  TW&  ^XE  W»l 
^j£)b  DD'aSi?.  It  is  significant,  however,  that  in  his  Arabic  translation 
Saadia  renders  this  passage  by  pHlta  DHS'Q  bpX  Dn:X  bl ,  i.e., 
''for  you  are  fewer  than  all  of  them  taken  together." 


64  saadia's  polemic 

b*  -ar^  roan  ab  "D'nnam  rnrtari  ro*a  44 
n»  ^b  rmiri  cpn  -wm  na  -pEraa  nbnaa  -p 

■"jorrwo  rains  attari  m*  ^  -Dmn3 
•arpb*  ihrsh  Tfirn  i^nm  trim*  45 

■pbi  ^-DnbiD  rtrn  Drri  2o3D-aa  cms  awn 
ax*  anpa  -ana  iron  naopb  nra  bs  nn  a^ipn 
tdrrn  era  nnsb  td»  b« 
p  nrab  a-nn  'wwa  rrrn  btwi  ban  bm      46 
wi  [*jja  twrr  ab  "pr^b  'mm  n»i  to  ns 

"sjirow  **  mr  rnn«  ^  irwin  "tfttraa 

301  Gen.  15,9  c/  seg. 

202  This  symbolic  interpretation  of  the  vision  of  Abraham  is  already 
found  in  an  old  Midrash  preserved  in  bTJJH  ttJTTQ  (ed.  Schechter, 

p.  240):  DTnan  n^nn  nnann  ax  Tai«  pn  ana. 

**  Comp.  Gen.  15,  10-n. 

204  This  interpretation  of  Gen.  15,  11  is  also  implied  in  the  same 
Midrash  quoted  above   (TOtt,  ibid.):   ntf  bttt  D-Q8  Dm»  3«m 

imsn  Tn  msxn  prt*  n*™  jwi  fin  nr  pnai  D*min 

"jnb    IDbm ;    it   agrees   with    Saadia's  Arabic   translation   3?S1    OFl 

nDnnns  max  xronm  -ixoiixbx  ib*  TXtabx  and  is  also  found 

in  the  extract  from  his  Commentary  cited  by  Dunash  ibn  Labrat 
(trOTOn  '0,  ed.  Schroter,  No.  7),  where  the  additional  statement  is 

found:  nntrniD  *inx  nnpn  [D?nn  :b"2]  rnrin  xb  ^bibx  "O 
■paxTa  rm  ma  it  i»n  lorn'man  on-crro  v:b"2]  nmrw 

lb  WB31D  T\12  TW^tD .  It  is  worth  noting,  however,  that  with  the 
possible  exception  of  Saadia's  Commentary  our  text  is  the  only  place 
where  Saadia  states  that  the  vision  of  Abraham  was  symbolic  of  the 


AGAINST   HIWI   AL-BALKHI  65 

44.  Thou  hast  failed  to  understand  the  meaning  of 
the  vision  [of  Abraham]  and  the  dismembered 
animals,  therefore  hast  thou  been  astonished 
by  hearing  of  them;  but  refrain  and  let  me  tell 
thee  their  significance,  that  in  their  mystery 
is  written  the  idea  of  resurrection. 

45.  The  carcases  were  dismembered  and  the  birds 
were  caused  to  come  down  upon  them,  and 
Abraham  blew  upon  them  and  made  them  to 
move  and  they  returned  to  life,  therefore  had 
he  first  laid  each  half  over  against  the  other  in 
order  to  breathe  life  into  them  when  bone  came 
near  unto  bone. 

46.  When  he  saw  the  power  of  this  great  God  he 
felt  it  his  duty  to  command  his  children  and  his 
household  that  they  shall  not  feel  anxious  when 
affliction  came  and  shall  trust  that  in  the  days 
after  him  God  will  make  His  salvation  known. 


Resurrection  (D3"Pnm  rQiriD  ffSTOH  IT^nn).  It  is  not  found  in 
"imiQXfl ,  nor  is  it  implied  in  the  passage  quoted  by  Dunash.  What 
misled  Geiger  (TDn  D"D  ,  V,  100)  and  others  (Poznanski  in  Studies  in 
Jewish  Literature,  Berlin,  1913,  p.  252)  to  assume  that  in  that  passage 
Saadia  spoke  of  the  Resurrection  was  the  reply  which  Ibn  Ezra  made  to 
Dunash.    In  that  reply  Ibn  Ezra  says:    "pfc«in    T™    "I^IX    *$& 

nrsra  ■£  -Dnrra  ht  rmx  am  -b"T  wraip  inns  srrnb 
DTi'an  n^nn  br  sr&n  n^n  mpts  om  new,  ed.  Lippmann, 

p.  6a).     Geiger  took  the  words  DTTDH  fi^nn  to  mean  Resurrection, 
whereas  the  real  meaning  is  "the  coming  into  life  of  the  dismembered 
animals,"  and  refers  to  Saadia's  statement  that  the  slaughtered  animals 
came  into  life,  as  a  sign  that  God  would  keep  His  promise. 
Jos  Comp.  Ps.  98,  2. 


66  saadia's  polemic 

-pa  nrton  2o6-nwj  ma  Tnn  rwr  "pnt      47 
wr»b  ar  t)  ■fb  n  ** -matin  -to  ht  urb*  Sn 
208 :  ma  nittb  DttP  mwb  dw  rrob  -mabs 
aiw  abi  -Tb*  latin  "5  -jr  D*mn  tmoiri      48 
■©si  p*  D-oic  'pa  "jra  ^-vba  yncba  nub  -ma 
(3  verso)        jrbimn  orb  "px  tw  mta  rrnii-rbci  "^ 
«  toots  2io,i:^  na  ira   x^  "row  abn      49 
rirtai  vona  ibnnnb  -was*  afi  trter  np'w 
:won  ds  na  -era  tmba  v'^  p  -nmn  rrnwbi 
212 -b^n  ba^ur  Trora  bfiWD©"1  "ibrj  ■£  mm       50 
•b^Bia  oma  2i3nnn  T;a  to  ibia  ab  rn  Da 
"•mcbiob  rosnb  ■••Vwanb  Tp«  rmxa  m  ,nn« 

"•jb^TOl  d-he  ba 

2o6Comp.  Gen.  15,  13. 

2°7Comp.  S.  Schechter,  "The  Oldest  Collection  of  Bible  Difficulties 

by  a  jew"  (j.q.r.,  xiii,  360):  -maom  nan  main  Dbl7  in 

•nrtom  can  in:*  p  "nna  i^n  -nam  •pasm  ^riT  nw  hd 

.  mrwtn  na  nsnb  ■  -ra  pan  i?-it  nvn  15  *o 

208  Comp.  Deut.  8,  16;   Ps.  86,  17.     Saadia  discusses  this  point  also 
in  "rWEtfn ,  p.  100.     Comp.  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,  n. 
2°9  Comp.  Ps.  44,  19,  23.  2I0  Deut.  8,  5. 

211  Read  "12T2'02  and  comp.  Hos.  2,  7. 

2»  Comp.  b.  Sukkah  52b:  nann©  niipn  jmb*  tannrna  nrnix 

213  MS  reads  Jin^n ,  but  the  error  is  indicated  by  a  diacritic  sign 
over  the  n . 

2I<  Comp.  Job  13,  4. 

"scomp.  judg.  9, 43:  D^ir*n  rnubtDb  naM-m. 


AGAINST   giWI  AL-BALKHI  67 

47.  "Thy  seed  shall  be  afflicted  and  enslaved  four 
hundred  years."  Thou  hast  wondered  why  He 
decreed  this  against  them  that  did  not  sin. 
Know  thou  that  our  Lord  hath  His  secrets. 
He  caused  them  to  be  slaves  so  as  to  humble 
them  and  to  show  them  a  token  for  good. 

48.  Because  our  forefathers  in  Egypt  were  killed  for 
His  sake,  and  because  their  heart  did  not  turn 
away  from  crying  unto  Him  for  help,  He  gave 
them  as  a  reward  the  clouds  and  [the  pillars  of] 
fire  and  manna  and  the  quails  and  the  great  good 
which  He  hath  laid  up  for  the  day  of  recompense. 

49.  For,  just  as  when  a  man  chastiseth  his  son,  he 
causes  him  pain  and  mortifies  him  with  his  oil 
and  his  drink  in  order  to  hold  him  back  from  evil 
and  from  sickness  and  to  do  what  is  good  for 
him,  so  doth  God,  our  Lord,  chasten  his  tumultu- 
ous people. 

50.  Thou  hast  said  that  the  birth  of  Ishmael  caused 
the  servitude  of  Israel  to  double.  But  if  he 
were  not  born  He  would  have  thrown  them  into 


21(5  Saadia  discusses  this  subject  at  length  in  TTTflMWl ,  p.  47  (comp. 
below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  4,  e).  It  is  also  worth  while  to  quote  the  words 
of  Ibn  Ezra  (Gen.  18,  1)  together  with  the  commentary  of  Joseph 
Bonfils  OWE)  1-1322,  ed.  Herzog,  p.  102):    OW  "O  TOM*  mn  WU 

dtb3»  mr6rc  rem  aire©  ma?a  trims  irmbw  aim  -ins  Kin 
■nba  am  amat}  maran  -rrabw  »int>  t-raa  p  b?  en  -rrp 
:ins  on  ntJbtsn  oms  -o  "niaa  p  by  Tina  ntnsa  bam  "" 
nami  nma  ontjbtJ  dm  *o  israa  ab  itrmo  irmwr  «bii 
o-«at?  on©  nnai  :  trims  nnwo  D^aab-an  ^at?  wo'n  main 
Tin  msm  Kb©  i-rcaa  j&\  -r»a  nobis™  man  nan 
•  onm  nbtaa  nam  nt)btj  abn  ins  oa^x  d^td  "ntftjairo  ^a 


68  saadia's  polemic 

nrra  innpai  onbi  -ran  bDa  ^d  rmta»  to      51 
racial  bab  nb^bn  rnatfi  rotfi  -om  -lasa  wo 

nTDn  b*o  -0*153  *ps  -raa  n»  Tom  *Dnb  taara 

ab  rwnrri  oa  2i7'ws  via  kti*  ■pw  bsn      52 
•^••Dubtt  ■obi  tam  wrwa  "0  •■'"■o  rvrro 
218  r's  *3Bb  TtttP  w  nrngjffi 
vm  ab  •irgrttu  rtnna  r^^  mmtk  **  n»      53 
oreb   "-ins  *5  ■••riwo'ixj  in»  abi  tmwan 
nfcn  «in  rrrr  -pan  -rwrara  mnDD  nna  to 
irwrwi  marrr  vn  -pons 
■5  m*"pab  rr  n««  nm  bs  na  nrr  nna      54 
tropin  mpb  ■••■pirn  ""cnron  nmtti  teaa  -p-i» 
bDi»  voot  nbtr   abai  .mprr  by  pit  -isnb 

:-proa  nmun 

21?  Gen.  18,  1-33. 

218  Ibid.  18,  22. 

"9  The  meaning  is  that  Tl  T»V«  XTH  and  D'nMa  HtObtD  TOTl  KTn 
are  two  distinct  appearances. 

220  Gen.  18,  22. 

221  1  Kings  2,  44. 

222  Comp.  Mishnah  Aboda  Zarah  II,  5 :  rtTl  HBTltD  HEP  inrflB  "jro . 

223This    unquestionably    refers    to    the    Eucharist.     Saadia,    then, 
accuses  Hiwi  of  being  a  follower  of  Christianity. 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  69 

the  hands  of  another  people.  After  this  thou 
hastened  to  forge  a  lie,  to  divide  into  three  the 
God  who  lifteth  up  and  bringeth  low. 

51.  Thou  hast  also  said  that  He  ate  of  meat  and 
bread,  and  that  after  taking  a  bribe  He  gave  him 
the  good  tidings  of  a  first-born,  and  on  the  other 
hand,  thou  hast  said  far  be  it  from  God  and  His 
angels  to  partake  of  food.  Hear,  then,  what, 
thy  mouth  speaketh  and  do  not  lie  and  engage 
in  dispute. 

52.  If  thou  hadst  given  careful  thought  to  the 
entire  passage  of  "God  appeared  to  him"  thou 
wouldst  not  have  rebelled  against  God,  for  it  is 
clearly  written,  "And  the  angels  of  God  turned 
and  went,  but  Abraham  stood  yet  before  the 
Lord." 

53.  The  Appearance  [literally:  the  light]  of  God 
which  was  seen  [by  Abraham]  first  is  not  [identi- 
cal with]  the  appearance  of  the  men,  for  it  is 
written  that  even  after  they  went  he  yet  stood 
[before  the  Lord]  and  how  could  He  be  they  as 
thou  sayest,  Oh  man  of  insolence  and  error! 

54.  Thou  knowest  all  the  wickedness  which  thy 
heart  is  privy  to  that  thy  Master  hath  been 
eaten  and  drunk  and  absorbed  and  mixed  up 
[in  the  body],  therefore  hast  thou  sought  to  turn 
this  upon  thy  opponent,  and  being  unable,  hast 
presented  Him  in  thy  writings  as  one  who  doth 
eat  and  drink. 


70  saadia's  polemic 

Kb  yntfi  Dro^bi  -tear  ^fKi  Kin  bsn  ama      55 
■fear  »bi  prrar  rsabB  r,»  -tor  b^  *a  -px* 
^ibs^a  iran  trwrt  b^  na  rtoai  aires  -Sana 
nrca  qbr!  to  ns^bnnb  onssb  rrrwn  as      56 
■jmn  iro  "to  bai  -to  nrr  bai  Tian  aarar 
ban  isaipn  nraa  maio  nsp  toi  22S#ns  cjri 

ribis  ra*  -mta*-1  'rrnan  dyio,,*  57 

"ittwrabb  nnnsnzjEn  rtnan  is  name  •an»8» 

(4  recto)     jjK   "•'DMbflWri    D^lE&On    n»   PltTCS  II  S*b   final 

:  arrow  tnrtnwn  na  nana  sb 

nntf  -jtap  ran  -nam  ^-»  rcn  abn  nw  nil      58 
m  by  nii3»  w«i  •new  nra«  bs  wra  ""•nrai 
"■nav  ab3  "sua  p^rrab  man  -najriB  lb  ab 
229  "&b  *aa  ibcss  wip  «b  niD^  bs*  59 

224  Read:  bDXE  D3"W1 ,  Saadia  cites  here  a  Biblical  instance  (Deut. 
7,  16)  where  5DX  cannot  possibly  have  but  a  figurative  meaning. 

M5  Comp.  Isa.  40,  29. 

226  MS  reads  Cnb'lTS'OI .  22?  Comp.  Jer.  49,  15. 

228  Comp.  Prov.  26,  17.  Our  text  shows  that  Saadia  connects  the 
word  *"Qy  with  23D  and  not  with  1391ft]  as  the  Masorah.  This  is 
exactly  what  we  find  in  his  Arabic  translation  of  this  verse  (see  (Euvres 
computes  de  R.  Saadia,  VI,  156).  Ibn  Nachmias  in  his  Commentary 
on  Proverbs  (ed.  Bamberger)  quotes  this  construction  in  the  name  of 
Saadia. 


AGAINST   HIWI   AL-BALKHI  71 

55.  He  is  the  creator  of  all  things  and  how  should  He 
eat?  Neither  the  heavens  nor  the  earth  doth 
He  need,  for  He  can  do  all  things;  even  His 
angels  consume  by  fire  but  do  not  eat  food,  as 
it  is  written,  "Thou  shalt  consume  all  the 
people,"  and  they  [the  people]  are  no  food. 

56.  Even  to  the  body  food  is  only  to  give  new 
strength  in  exchange  of  that  which  is  drawn  out 
by  the  air  and  weariness;  but  as  to  God  Al- 
mighty, blessed  be  He,  who  giveth  strength  to 
the  weary,  remember  but  a  part  of  His  glory 
which  we  have  mentioned  before  and  do  not 
forget  it. 

57.  "In  what  way,"  sayest  thou,  "hath  the  sin  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  been  greater  than  the  sin 
of  other  nations  and  families  after  their  lan- 
guages ?  "  But,  surely,  thou  hast  not  probed  the 
former  and  their  deeds  nor  hast  thou  examined 
the  latter  and  their  sins. 

58.  How  darest  thou  speak  words  of  insolence  with- 
out knowledge?  Behold,  thou  art  small  and 
unworthy  of  knowing  all  that  is  being  written, 
and  the  man  that  vexeth  himself  with  strife 
belonging  not  to  him  is  like  one  that  taketh  a 
running  dog  by  the  ear. 

59.  Because  they  did  not  meet  [the  people  of  Israel 
with  bread  and  with  water  in  the  way]   the 

"9  Deut.  23,  4-5. 


72  saadia's  polemic   . 

by  np^rn  ^-tfibn  r\v&  nin^n  vimcm  nrosm 
Dia  23inb^37j  nti  *  tonbpb  trran  »in  ^  bis 

itnbsr  toe  D-nbam 
"proi  *"-wa  bv  rrr  ab  ^  rrabiD  ab  Dbsn      60 
d*3w  nbiD  nb-a  ••wrai  nra  bisn  imrcbn 
[Tab]  nan  Dj  tonp  »bi  -rns»  wi  p  D'atfrm 

234 :  nis  -pmb 
inaop  -DTa  D^n  bipn  mton  *  w*  61 

bipb  wcnwri  "a  -p*3*3  'Ptrtn  -p&ruDn  to .,.  — 
»nsn  D^n  rrtr  tD  rraa  -trnaa  n»  «in  Din 

jD-msi  D^p-i  d^od  bipb 
ib  im  -rem  ba  mrw  t)  m»b  "noEPKi      62 
mart  nTDS"«  -pi  -vioYa  nnn  hot  nit:  bteo 
5^125  Tj3»b  D3i  rfiiD  nib  nnbi  -tts  *t  by 

sran 

23°  Comp.  Isa.  25,  7. 

231  MS  reads  nbiySTSIB  ,  with  a  stroke  through  the  second  "U  . 

332  Zeph.  3,  5.  233  Prov.  17,  20. 

23*  Comp.  Ps.  84,  7:  imrPTZP  "p^D.  It  has  perhaps  reference  to 
the  Midrashic  comment  on  this  verse,  viz. :  fi'DEJ'QD  ^TOW)  niyQTmC 
"pIPED  (D^bnn  TEHTQ,  ad  /oc).  I  feel,  however,  that  this  is  some- 
what far-fetched.  If  the  MS  did  not  read  distinctly  'p^'Qb  ,  we  might 
suggest  reading  T\X0  "JT7  Dfpb^ . 

23s  This  refers  to  Isaac  who  implicitly  obeyed  Abraham  when  led 
to  the  altar. 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  73 

children  of  Lot  became  unfit  [to  enter  into  the 
assembly  of  the  Lord],  but  thou  hast  turned 
it  about  and  hast  ascribed  it  to  the  incest 
committed  under  cover;  thou  hast  spoken 
falsehood  against  God  that  He  hath  caused  him 
to  lie  down  to  cause  conception,  whereas  this 
is  the  work  of  man  in  which  God  taketh  no 
part. 

60.  Thou  hast  shown  no  shame,  for  the  wicked 
knoweth  no  shame  and  he  that  hath  a  perverse 
tongue  falleth  into  mischief  and  into  a  trap. 
Even  if  the  Ammonites  and  the  Moabites  had 
been  offspring  of  a  lawful  marriage  but  had  not 
met  [the  Israelites  with  bread  and  with  water 
in  the  way],  by  this  [alone]  He  would  have  given 
them  cause  to  weep. 

61.  The  upright  who  hearkened  unto  the  voice  of 
the  wise  in  all  secrets  thou  hast  called  .... 
carried  away  by  the  rhyme.  But  in  saying  that 
he  who  obeyeth  the  voice  of  a  wise  man  is  the 
most  despised  of  fools  thou  hast  declared  that 
he  shall  be  considered  wise  who  listeneth  to  the 
voice  of  foolish,  vainglorious,  and  wanton  men. 

62.  It  is  possible  that  God  will  kill  a  man  by  His 
word  and  reward  him  well  in  the  next  world 
for  his  suffering.  It  is  also  possible  that  He 
would  kill  one  through  His  messenger  and  would 
reward  the  messenger  as  well  as  him  who  obeyed 
the  word  of  the  messenger. 


74  saadia's  polemic 

na  rrr  van  ft  twipn  nira  nan*  63 

•rvuab  itr  »b  lira:  toei  p  bs  -mwa  bs 
ft  -err  pab  Tfloo  trans  onsn  ta  bbra  bna 
jmanrt  Drraa  236o;a  ab 
bs  p  ft  ••trttta  Timn  wr  nn?  frot  64 
rbmbl  1122b  owi  ^"imsb  nan  lynsr  mb^b* 
■arnvib  gponbi  aTtnb  eewd  ^--ama  tan 

^■ranbi 
m  ab  nbx  0:28  ^tumu  rvun*  65 

(4  verso)  pro  ft  "ttry  romp  bx  pa  tnan  bs  ■sii 
■ft  trrwn  b?  nroan  ^-kti   inn  ft  nbftraa 

^nrmm  bmn  wn 


■*  MS  reads  C:H . 

^  This  interpretation  of  Gen.  22,  12  is  already  found  in  T3  56,  7: 

^nma  rain  bDb  vimn  "wp  nnr  •©.   Ed.  Theodor  (P.6o3) 

reads:    "1D1  bDb  lan^T^  HIlT.     Ibn  Ezra  on  the  same  verse  quotes 

Saadia  as  follows:  "^nb  inpna:  mann  noa  nb^E  n^a  "pawm 

Timn  DJtaD  WT  nb^  D3  -D"7^ .     Comp.  Saadia's  Arabic  trans- 
lation caaba  ntny  ]»b»  ^xs . 

2#  Comp.  above  sees.  20,  21.  23'  Comp.  Ps.  21,  3. 

240  MS  reads  rYOlprTO  with  a  diacritic  mark  over  the  1 ,  to  indicate 
that  it  was  a  scribal  error. 

241  The  meaning  of  the  three  clauses  is  not  clear  to  me.     In  the  trans- 
lation, I  had  in  mind  the  following  passage  from  ^inTD^n ,  chap,  i,  p.  18: 

YiKraiB  Kim  •D'np'on  rabiyn  wan  byi  rrrann  )"q  rwbfcm 
dk  tossb  ox  -rnx  bDn  rrp^w  D^npttB  itabtti  ab  trewan  bD 

.  toe*  nbTO 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  75 

63.  I  have  already  said  that  He  knoweth  all  that  is 
being  done,  therefore,  He  hath  no  need  for  Him- 
self to  resort  to  trials,  but  for  the  sake  of  men 
there  is  need  of  trials,  that  they  may  know  that 
He  did  not  compel  Abraham  to  be  tried. 

64.  The  expression  "Now  I  know  [that  thou  fearest 
God"]  is  to  be  interpreted  "Now  I  have  made  it 
known,"  for  so  are  all  the  deeds  of  our  Creator 
to  be  explained,  and  the  meaning  of  "to  re- 
strain" and  "to  cause  to  give  birth"  is,  I  may 
say,  like  the  meaning  of  "to  starve"  and  "to 
feed,"  "to  wither"  and  "to  cause  to  produce." 

65.  These  thoughts,  however,  are  not  evil,  for  every- 
one created  is  subject  to  the  accidents  that  may 
happen  to  him;  through  them  we  learn  that  it 
(the  world)  is  new  (i.e.,  creata  ex  nihilo).    Thou 


2*2  Hiwi's  argument  which  Saadia  takes  up  in  this  phrase  and  con- 
tinues in  the  following  three  paragraphs  must  have  been  the  same  as 
the  one  mentioned  by  Ibn  Ezra  (Gen.  27,  40):   TOS  T^  D'H'B'IK  "CH 

-nrn  ttib  nan  pnar  to*  yi  tot  -tw  ati  ninn  which 

Joseph  Bonfils  (11372  nDD2 ,  ed.  Herzog,  ad  loc.)  explains  as  follows: 

lama  13  -ntb  isn  ff*m  isn:tf  ^  a">n  D'n'a'itfn  nba  nm 

D11S  ITfibM .     In  the  same  passage  Ibn  Ezra  quotes  Saadia  as  follows : 

71s  ba  ^v  xtov  Tinrn  yvr\  nspn  nbainn  it  nrn  paam 
—  »nma*8  rn©  nana  -innim»  roc  nnm  uvn&  np:^  lasia 
om»  nnban  nanaa  "o  intjn->  nbian  naima  "is^pn  abE  own 

inn  "p  Xbl.  Comparing  this  quotation  with  §§66,  67  below,  it 
seems  that  either  Ibn  Ezra  had  this  Polemic  before  him,  or  that  Saadia 
elaborated  this  point  in  his  Biblical  Commentary  and  Ibn  Ezra  took  it 
from  there.  The  question  why  God  allows  His  people  to  remain  in 
exile  is  discussed  in  inTOXn,  p.  74.    Comp.  below,  chap,  iii,  sec.  4, 

i,  a-\ 


76  saadia's  polemic 

•rati  ^cn  "a  nm  ■•wan  ynn  -pa*  rim     66 
mn  dm  wi  -rawo  nrrwu  nb-j  to»n  161 
bat  ^  m  bna    an  n:n  D^iriM  ""trtr  dp 

:  to  Mb  wi  ^rcns 
tots  orn  ona*  iRW*  ra  nmaa*  67 

247 -^nsn  yn»n  tv©  *>n  [■*]  nrr  [Mlbi  "oro 
DTtan  '[Mwflrn  man  hd»  Mb  bpoti  Dai 
*  trail  ma  rnn  Mb  *pb  mann 
•psnai  *onb  rrowa  nM  wiba  cpbnn  "b  rrtwa      68 
[D-nc\b  nrrronn  bD  ^onrrnVi  ran  ■•yirt  mvj 

ddbhd  rtnaa]  it  [bt>  -[dWik iVra  Mb  dmi 

SDTtww  Dimzn  wi 

DMh]  [irw]  [n]ME  m  dm  dtddib*  69 

ito  Mbm  'twins  rna&ir]  i»ap  Mb  nntas  tihm 

^Dnun  -nriM  itaai  dmi  [thm]  [n]ME  b»wi 

jnra  fni]Mi  am«  lain  Dnam 

2«  Gen.  30,  43.  2*»  /Wa.  25,  27. 

^comp.  Lev.  25, 29:  inbao  rmi  d^b\ 

"*  Gen.  36,  6.  **  Dan.  11,  16. 

**  The  2d  pers.  sing,  impf .  of  KID  analogous  to  "COP  "|/t333 . 

>*  Comp.  Ps.  144, 10:  vn*  th  pa  nsisn . 

2s°The  reading  is  not  certain,  it  may  also  be  read  DPYinbl,  in 
which  case  the  phrase  should  be  translated  "of  the  saving  of  his  children 
and  their  freedom  he  announced  to  them  all  good  tidings." 

*"  Gen.  27,  41,  42. 


AGAINST   HIWI   AL-BALKHI  77 

hast  said  of  the  brothers  [Esau  and  Jacob]  that 
He  made  the  elder  richer  and  greater. 

66.  But  consider  the  passage:  "The  man  increased 
exceedingly,"  and  thou  wilt  understand  that  He 
made  the  "Man  of  Integrity"  (Jacob)  greater, 
and  thou  wilt  not  say  what  is  not  written. 
Moreover,  if  the  Man  of  Integrity  fled  for  a  few 
years,  he  soon  returned,  but  this  one  (Esau) 
"  went  into  a  land  [away  from  his  brother  Jacob  "] 
whence  he  hath  not  yet  returned. 

67.  Thou  hast  said  that  the  Children  of  Israel  are 
today  serving  in  captivity  in  Seir,  and  thou  dost 
not  know  that  Mt.  Seir  is  in  the  glorious  land; 
nor  are  the  Romans,  when  they  muster  their 
hosts,  made  up  of  the  descendants  of  Esau,  but 
through  the  exceeding  deceit  of  thine  own  heart 
thou  dost  not  know  what  thou  speakest. 

68.  Thou  hast  erred  [in  thinking]  that  our  God 
changed  His  promise  to  the  Man  of  Integrity. 
On  the  contrary,  to  save  his  children  and  their 
generations,  He  announced  to  them  all  good 
tidings  and  if  ....  all  this  befell  as  long  as 
they  turned  away  [from  His  path]  but  when 
they  repent  from  their  evil  doing  it  will  be 
removed. 

69.  If  the  tribes  had  come  of  one  father  and  one 
mother,  thou  sayest  that  they  would  not  have 
quarreled  so  jealously  one  with  the  other,  but 
surely  Esau  and  Israel  came  of  one  father  and 


78  saadia's  polemic 

[bnh  raGti  -rrmn  2s2r,stfin  rrab  nbattj  npr      70 
CfOTi  tbh  bs  ^-niman  nasi  2S3iD:ra  cpt^] 
■p:  vntffl  ab  *d  roan  tfoin  -rvra  in  rwft 

{rmataan 
"i:r»  men  ns  vmraa  tn  *y»W  71 

am  "nit:  nn  [rrai]  [irjus  m  ma  rreb  p 
*'*n  'frapa  tawa  b*ra[b]  ......  p  rrcn  Dbi?n 

255 :  in  ^«Bn»  -nra  b*oizr  ■taw 
iswi  icnn  -tran  nirbiz:  b?  irnba  ram  *s      72 
wis   b^n    cramm   icinn   •onsrw   btaaetf 
bs  by  [traWI]  256b^b  [**•]  nit:  [■*]  •ftrteHB 

2s7:D^bnn 
:nr»  —  vsfi  d^oe  wra  mm  ^znyb*  73 

«* Hof .  of   ClES  .     Comp.  n^HJS-Q  n-tttf  ,  chaps,  lxi-lxii.     IBS 

•  apy  moan  mob  -nan  «mp  na  rrab  npanb  n"npn 

2S3  Gen.  42,  36. 

2«  Comp.  ibid.  47,  9. 

as5  Isa.  49,  3. 

25*  Ps.  145,  9- 

■w  Comp.  Xeh.  12,  31.    The  word  may  also  be  read  D^Dbnn. 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  79 

one  mother  and  one  belly  and  yet  [Esau]  hated 
and  plotted  and  said,  "  I  will  kill  and  bring  down 
to  the  grave." 

70.  Thou  hast  asked,  "  Why  was  Jacob  encompassed 
with  troubles,  with  the  death  of  Rachel  and  the 
loss  of  Joseph  and  with  much  bitterness  ?  "  But 
the  more  thou  speakest  of  his  troubles,  the  more 
dost  thou  add  to  his  praise  that  they  have  not 
turned  him  away  from  the  commandments. 

71.  In  proportion  as  his  sorrows  increased  and  his 
pains  grew  strong  here,  so  will  his  song  and  his 
comfort  increase  in  the  future  [world],  and  even 
in  this  world  ....  to  him  who  asks  his  name 
....  and  God  hath  said,  "Oh,  Israel  in  whom 
I  am  glorified." 

72.  For  the  goodness  of  God  cometh  in  three  ways, 
through  kindness,  or  recompense,  or  reward. 
All  are  in  need  of  His  kindness  and  mercy,  for 
the  Lord  is  good  to  all,  and  his  tender  mercies 
are  over  all  processions. 

73.  To  those  who  do  His  will 


CHAPTER  III 

TEXTS  RELATING  TO  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  AND  HIS 

TWO  HUNDRED  QUESTIONS;    ARRANGED 

CHRONOLOGICALLY 

NINTH  CENTURY 

i.  Mardan-farukh  (fl.  in  the  middle  of  the  ninth 
century). 

From  Shikand  Gumdnik  Vijar,  translated 
by  E.  W.  West  (In  The  Sacred  Books  of  the 
East,  Vol.  XXIV,  Oxford,  1885). 

(a)  Chap,  xiii,  §§  122,  132-134.     Comp.  above, 
chap,  ii,  sees.  1-4. 

"And  as  to  the  tree  of  knowledge  itself,  about 
which  he  commanded  thus :  '  Ye  shall  not  eat 
of  it,'  and  also  as  to  the  injunction  for  not 
eating  of  it,  which  was  issued  by  him,  why 
was  it  necessary  for  him  to  make  them? 

(132)     They  also  say  this,  that  things  of 

80 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  8 1 

every  kind  were  created  for  mankind,  on 
account  of  which  it  is  evident  that  even  that 
tree  was  created  by  him  for  mankind — (133) 
and  man  was  made  by  him  predominant  over 
every  creature  and  creation.  (134)  If  that 
be  so,  why  were  they  now  to  incline  their 
desires  away  from  that  tree,  which  was  their 
own?" 

(b)  Ibid.,  §§  135-137.  Comp.  above,  chap,  ii, 
sec.  6,  and  below,  sec.  10,  b. 
"From  this  following  statement,  this,  too,  is 
evident,  that  knowledge  was  not  really  origi- 
nating with  him,  (136)  because  if  he  came 
forth  to  the  garden  and  raised  his  voice,  and 
called  Adam  by  name  thus:  ' Where  art 
thou  ? '  it  is  just  as  though  he  were  unaware 
of  the  place  where  he  existed;  (137)  and  if 
he  had  been  unanswered  by  him,  he  would 
have  been  unaware  of  the  place  where  Adam 
existed." 


82  saadia's  polemic 

(c)  Ibid. j  XIV,  32-33.     Comp.  above,  chap,  ii, 
sees.  20,  21. 

"Again,  it  shows  that  his  final  result  is  all 
regret,  (7,3)  just  as  this  which  it  states,  that 
he  became  among  the  despondent,  and  he 
spoke  thus :  'lam  repentant  as  to  the  making 
of  men  on  the  earth.'" 

2.  Abu  Amran  Al-Taflisi  (fl.  second  half  of  ninth 
century). 

See  No.  3. 

TENTH  CENTURY 

3.  Abu  Yusuf  Yakub  Al-kirkisani  (fl.  first  half  of 
tenth  century). 

From  Kitdb  Al- Anwar ',   chap.   ii.  cited  by 
Harkavy,    TV12C    2*\    "jTdT,    p.     147,    note    2. 

*rrrn  *b&  arnor  b*8oa  nao&ra  rbn 

4.  Saadia  b.  Joseph  (892-942). 

(a)  From  r"Wib»  2SrO ,  cited  by  Judah  b.  Bar- 
zilai  in  ttTT  130  101TB ,  published  first  by 

258  "And  he  [Abu  Amran  Al-Taflisi]  had  replies  to  questions  which 
he  wished  ascribed  to  Hiwi." 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  83 

S.  D.  Luzzatto  in  Dip  rwbn ,  p.  71.  Comp. 
ed.  Halberstam,  p.  21.     Comp.  below,  sec.  i, 

n- 

DTitta  la  anM  YiBra  ^bnba  ■nHri  "tea  rwni 
abi  D^int:n  twabttn  rf apn  st?  naV.  :nwo 
ma  "3n  p  rros  -pirb  wi  •tamra  itod  ii« 
:rcn  n«  ^ny^isir^  mix  tocm  "?tr&attn 
rrmn  cratan  pa  p»n  ab  tD  Tmn  rai 
nrrn  pi  ?m«n  "tt  -pa  pitnn  "Wra  nam 
[?rma]  nre  ^  w„  j-prabn  no  via  -raiion 
pirn  *a  niDB»  ?Drma  ^bab  nw  rra  mi 
ora  ^sb  mp  -o  •D'WB  pjba  pits  ma  uran 
ya  man  «bi  dd&d  -men  781  •traro  rash 

"EPaSrVi.  Luzzatto  (#>id.)  suggested  also 
that  it  was  this  passage  which  Ibn  Ezra  had 
in  mind  when  he  said  (Gen.  i,  i):   U*iBT\  bfcO 

troabarra  Tan  trwtm  tbiwd  ■paan  *wb  *pb . 

He  also  pointed  out  that  Ibn  Ezra  quoted 
Saadia  again  in  his  shorter  Commentary  on 

Exod.  23, 20:  picrra  -roan  *3  ^na  nscn  "ran 
promo  "fODna  D^bsn  ^bsD  D*D»ban  d?  Dion 


84  saadia's  polemic 

Tan  m»  Drra  cratt  m»6!on  nD  *birw  d* 

IV,  p.  106;  comp.  also  Reggio,  '0  by  llfcO 
2n"&nnb  n^pn  »*p3  nVJir,  Prague,  1840, 
p.  71).  Later,  Kaufmann  called  attention 
(hrjT  r0  s3 ,  ed.  Halberstam,  p.  334)  to  the 
fact  that  Ibn  Ezra  quoted  Saadia  also  in  his 
longer  Commentary  on  Gen.  1,1:  "ifitf  'Oil 

-ran  D?  rroa  "pwn  -pa  bvtm  bm  Da  td» 

•D-^npn  D"5«ban  mam  cfota  traha  dhie  dti 
ninsn  D-bas  bss  ir»ittn  or  tosh  -o  :ram 
rroab  picnic  (comp.  to-o  nma,  11,  211). 

In  the  ed.  of  M.  Friedlaender  (Essays  on  the 
Writings  of  Ibn  Ezra,  Hebrew  Appendix, 
p.  22)  the  last  line  reads:  U$  ptDiTO  TOfcfi 

ntj^b  -prarra  todti  bss  D^ab^n .  Poznanski 

groups  this  question  neither  with  Gen.  1,  1 
nor  with  Exod.  23,  20,  but  with  Exod.  25,  8 
(■pan ,  VII,  1 19-120). 

(b)  From  *lban  120  (ed.  Harkavy,  p.  177,  11.  12- 

14). 


AGAINST  ?IWI  AL-BALKHI  85 

maro  oapa  *ib«  ^bbnba  hrn  ^b?  t6k  "]b'^i 

(c)  From  nWTl  WElOan  ^3D,  ed.  D.  Slucki, 
Leipzig,  1864,  Introduction,  p.  12.  Comp. 
also  below,  sec.  10,  d. 

'bVoa  nabs:  "tvr  ■pah  m«  p*  tj  nan  ^»i 
ab  hD  -powna  abss  -ttr  tbwwi  wn  ■* 

nrip  Dnaouffl  w  tebsmo  nbiann  n:ra  nbr 
tt  -oto  ab  rro  trw*  nna  D^sba  qbab 

T    T    •  ' 

tTHO  onb  ffton  vn»  brr  bma  firm  oa 
ht  nspb  nbmnnb  tr»  one  nsn  rrn  ib»i 
tm  cryeonpn  otwi^wtj  nba  cnnpa  m 

jta  Dprrtin  trtebao 

(d)  Ibid.,  chap,  i,  p.  20. 

mmsn  rranw  n^  era  rvnna  nran  ^b  ie* 
n^bn  wea  rnanw  ma  Drrai  nrmna 

■abDH  Ttl  b?  TWIWOI  mV*  According 
to  the  Arabic  (ed.  Landauer,  p.  37)  it  should 

read  *rrn  b?  ■trowrwi  —  rraira  iriTsa 

pbban 

2»  "And  so  in  the  reply  to  Hiwi  Al-Balkhi  whose  book  was  in  vogue 
among  our  people  for  sixty  years." 


86  saadia's  polemic 

(e)  Ibid.,  chap,  ii,  p.  47.     Comp.  above,  chap,  ii, 
sees.  50-55. 

rr&o  **  vbs  sti  p*a  troMm  crrai 
pan  htw  cnaiRi  cs  Tfs  msaon)  anaa 
sin  riTn  Mn  anpn  onnnsb  raw  1123s 
d^s:s  nrabtt  •rpr»  tots  sin  ^  •rrcbta 
sim  -terra  d^oc  on  nbs  "a  ^snsi  :tpaao 
m  ibsi  •pwi  qiob  mi  *»  irnan  sbia 

ME  IMP)  (2"D  -DTD  -DTD)  Injuria  13?  OTTftflU 

^sb  lav  to  annnsi  nafno  tab*]  D-^sn 
<*  Toai  isbn  nns  D*E3sn  "O  dttt  TO  •"■* 
bas  -on  sin  nvra  bam  *rvsb  nn-asi  tji? 
nbsra  rasa  -rabbis  annnsb  nbnn  ttan  ns-o 
:D"j3n  *firm  trven  d-ieds 

(/)  i%/.,  pp.  51,  52.     Comp.  above,  chap,  ii,  sees. 
20,  21,38. 

*d  -mpa  't'rVjD  prr  sb  ntjsn  simr  ieisi 
naiaiD  s^7^3  nias  nil  -DbiD  tmpan  smn  sin 
bsiD  mn  -prn  •■on  sdiic  is  im  nms  sinis 
nras  ten ... .  ibss  11ns  isnp  12  tns  nirs 
ibss  sirs  isnp  inwa  sbra  1^73  inwi 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  87 

HXn    KVTCD    WWTS    D-»n    I-KIT    httl  •  •  •  • 

■now  vara  nspir  in  toti  *OFto  *ri»i 
—  ■part  riT  Kiip  Snaro  nnbsnn  onb  rrn 
:ca&  riT  snip  "tt»fn  twi  crisp  :rw  iirioi 

(g)  Zfod.,  p.  53.     Comp.  above,  chap,  ii,  sees.  36- 
40,  and  below,  sec.  6,  6. 

•rawi  vara  on  cwnn  bs  ^d  ppn  b?i 
Kbi  tit  *Tjtoa  pit  rwp«  "torn  prr  161 
D-nscn  r»ro  imn  *mns  nrbi  w  nib  trgpe 
■o  •ttftren  ibnni  trapi  inbiso  nric  onaiK 

Cra  "nb  D^mj  inbra  bnn  apr  w  "*  pbn 
^ra  •ntfiiti  b*ran  ^n  b?  dk  ti  n  pi 

iibsa  trip  ipbm  m«  bD  nb^o  lAsaio 

(A)  /ftitf.,  p.  54.    Comp.  above,  chap,  ii,  sees.  20, 
21. 

•anba  ten  -issm  -ana  rosa  nrhan  irani 
•jirra  161  roisra  -dth  "ran,,  nwiei :  renin 
pso  ^bn  p  •wnnan  -arm  irwari  urn  bus 
Kin  bna  -nrra  abi  rwsna  Kb  "roan,, 
nrara  ,fl»m  rurman  "am  iraan  nm? 


88  saadia's  polemic 

rcrana  irrr  w  iar«  r«  j*b  ma»)  wi 

-T~ 

nbara  aa  iek  b&\  .  .  .  .  r»*om  umnn 
.mtfnafi  b»  aw  nvyp  rvna«h 

(i)   Zta/.,  chap,  iii,  pp.  72-74. 

tm ....  bitaan  "yaya  xran  *raa  ■nn&o 
orrba  ^anair  nan  *3«  d-jk  "aa  nssnD  »t 
:  tow  . .  •  •  B338  322  ESS 
isoa  p-'innb  D^spa  d-j«  "Da  nsp  hbia  M 
trmcan  rtwan  "tcrri  7^12:  tg»  -nm 

■naja  m  p^Tfira  TOpE  nna  ^bitf  "awn    [a] 
barazja  Ttow  rrrro  ta  "uno  aiDirr© 
mwa  na^^D  bamr  in  eta  "ft  -a"1©) 
Ch  'fifb  •'*)  tnm  natal  lra  c-b^ 
Cjb»  nasi  D-'sbx  qba  bvnwr  b3  ym 

ta  "urio  towna  nib  mara*  "bia  "trtmn    [3] 
p  bna  pn  mnD  npio  wnv  man 

:tn  D-nro  aan 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  89 

[Comp.   above,   chap,   ii,   sees.    28,  29]      [1] 

rosea  mron  inna  vnr  *bi8  ya'tfii 
mt>pnb  im  rwbri  tsirrob  Da  •ntenpn 
^d  :  Tatari  run  p*n  mptn  sabnm  dtj 
wi  '"moa  cm  "bsn  te  b?  to  aman 
maron  m  nto  mi  •tm  to*  ma  bsb 
rftqn  mppa  ncprasi  am  -nntrrra  n?b 
mto  "05  nbnm  D*in  tnapn  bna  . . . . 
^  -in  [man]  pw»  m  Diais-no  mt*i 
na-0  "nDfiOi ....  Dti  dxhto  WHOSO 
r«Wib  cpota  ab  i-oti  iDirsD  ba  aitoa  m 
■raw  *xabn  isrran  mri  iMrur  abia 

ttrarn  w» 

"bia    "tD^artT)    [Comp.    above,   sec.   a]     [n] 

fo  yyik  firron  pan  ^  aiwr  awn 
Mtti  'crwion  tranteri  mm  ef»  "93 
abn  D^intan  trsfi&ari  mm®  '.pwi  nyi 
DTrra  aman  pirn  naM  -rasa  ^  rim 
*Di  -Dn«  *n  p  to  wo  rraa  D^bss  tnaa 

tt8T  ^bia  TOWT1    [Comp.  below,  No.  5]      [1] 

bnab  entai  rrq  {-rasm  pran  rrwaa 


90  saadia's  polemic 

-yxb  mm  bipbi  'tvjpVna  rvrobi  -pnbi 
nbio  nrmif]  -ma  rmVi  •*»»  anbbi 
■tawi  ?mb  ntmtn  •rmfi  "pawi  y*i 
•rrrasn  -yna  ab3  nba  ^  -tok  a^nbam 
tDi  -frcBi  ffta  «b 

"araicm    [Comp.  above,  chap,  ii,  sec.  41]       [T] 

m»n  rm*  ^»  stmari  "pbm  mrarra 
•■arm  w«  nabrcn  mr-aa  isna  toil 
term  mr  -ttt  *ot  law  nw  -raaai 
trn  "a  noi  ?nb^n  -nra  wi 
nscin  ab  in  "pn  niaa  *Hn  abisn 
nscin  -oan  m  atari  anrn  -yncm  abi 
lawn  -nsDinn  men  iw  -ncaai  -via 

jobir 

■pt  inana  me  pas  nirr™  "raism    [n] 
»aaro  BTtfaan  inarm:  nmra  rem 
*eri  naoi  fawrwri 

bTKTsb  B-mpa  Tti  nraa  pnpn  yprcri    [a] 
an«  "3nb  nana  -aa  ?a  tmran  am 

m  arc  bwra  "a  •tonri  ^ib  aw  kvto 

'151 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  9 1 

■w  -pa  na^ro  rbw  bs  toia  ■n'wrn     n 
wnpn  ^ns  "a  "trm  abir  pp  D?b  ra 
n3  5113  ab  bbn  any  *s  pwi  nbnro 

[Comp.    above,    chap,   ii,    sees.   65-68]    [fcT] 

npTn7<:n  prolan  nan  am®  ito  mam 
iba  :*rasei  ?nbpn  nbi  nam  n-nro 
m  Trrwrt  rvobsn  n-nnn  ^rsab  era 
d-hm  ora  "a  'tnvcsi  Dn^b*  artcnn 
:  *on  Dwan  smjwS  o^<  t)  anmba 

biu3  rmra  ara  ab  ■s  w  tranni  bl 
nn  ten  bna   -ann  Dbi3tt  wtP  161 
titp  ias  "Wan  ?Taba  rabWi  itaan 
*oi  tDSP  h:sn  inaa  p3*n  nib 

(7)  /ta/.,  chap,  iv,  p.  76.     Comp.  above,  chap,  ii, 
sees.  12-15. 

rrrr  ab  rnb  m-i^ai  rn  nr  pan  Toram 
D^nn  lb  -jdd  ab  a-namo  ^b  nantvn  ?ran 
abv  am  -iraa  nm  nbi»  trupn  nban 
n^-nann  trrn  lb  rrr  irrnr^  maas  -ja  man 


92  saadia's  polemic 

lb  nro  ipw  bair  cm  nin^n  n^a  niD» 
vionn  -raaraa  nana  t©»31  won 

Comp.  below,  sec.  0. 
(k)  Ibid.     Comp.  above,  chap,  ii,  sees.  16-18. 

nsra  pa  Dian  *ima  or  rrti  -pt  town 
•rvman  "pnoi  nrrbfil  mma  as-rna  raibn 
"hna-ttim  wrrtara  nisi  vpbn  m  Kb  rrabi 

(/)  /fod.,  pp.  76,  77.     Comp.   above,  chap,   ii, 
sees.  10,  11. 

:  train  vb*  D^nn  D^bm  to  Taiom 
prmsai  •rb^a  ima  ik  -ansa  bs:  win 
vnbab  sdd^  nxem  siurra  ninrn  *nb  d^id 
onnn  biicm  TO  -trwni ....  w»  lapwn 
rmrn  nsyn  "bmi  c^Kn  mtDarn  "npra 
■a  "iropna  nn  m»:ro  *s  wn  •nitron 
ttto  rm  Kb  ■*«ap  want  rrn  Kb  dk 
^pssK  hD«  rba  td»  n^KD  "3  "rnba  ®3Wa 
toto  irraTDi  •tpsn  Kin  m  nr  rm  Kb 
j-jrnb  ib  rm  orw  Tnyab  nb^n  anwa 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  93 

(m)  Ibid.,  chap,  vi,  p.  100.     Comp.  above,  chap, 
ii,  sees.  16-18. 

•irio  »in  -j»  ttaa  im  in  "pi  man  cfD 
wins  rra  »bi  toma  w  mra  twncm  ■o 
naaa  »b  mwi  'rmra  arrwi  bna  -bwn 

ana  dtibh  nn«  aa  *d  'tna  ■»  ninb  nsp 

DTD  DTTl  UTMEO  tfb 

t   t     ;    • 

(w)  Ibid.     Comp.  above,  chap,  ii,  sees.  47,  49. 

•    iptfcb  son  D^nba  rrb*  aiznn  crvioti  off 

•-TO  "pi  b*  aba  rrb?  aaran  ab  twnbl 

n  anal)  -w  T»ae  naia  arman  nbaab 

:-jrvnn«3  "ptanb  -jmoa  pabi  (fa 

(0)  7MZ.,  chap,  ix,  p.  131.     Comp.  above,  chap,  ii, 
sees.  12-15. 

*omn  mm  sin  rpn  abm  tam  *t»r  aao 
tot  -nbnrra  twn  obiso  rm  anan  n» 
ma  tasa  vn»  zmi*  ?an»n  nba  bs  vb*a 
-"iirbirn  Tosaa  mara  wnprrm.    This  has 

reference  to  the  following  passage  on  p.  58: 

aimam  tttanan  naion  ba  aroan  mo  ta*ra 


94  saadia's  polemic 

bMims  nam  -aits  mm  wn  -in  rmw  rtoa 

nn^nic  rra*a  b?  raiab  r»iD  ra  rrrno  "p 

abra  ia  man  "2  wrtt  rta  bss  nb  tit  in 

:  yn  to*  totto  »n  baa  tan  nw 

5.  Solomon  b.  Yeruham  (885-960). 

From  his  Arabic  Commentary  on  Ecclesiastes 
(7,  16),  published  by  Poznanski  in  Monats- 
schrift,  1907,  p.  732.  A  Hebrew  translation 
of  this  passage  was  given  by  Pinsker,  in 
IWfflTJp  "Wpb,  p.  28.  Comp.  also  above, 
No.  4,  i,  1 . 

pns  "nn  ba  nbip  nsn  irvr  n^nnn  b»i  ipi 
•nbba  aaro  *mto  "by  ywan  ab  *3r  roTi 
•rwi  rvsa  ifbrr  ab  nbi  area  nfbn  obi  bnpns 
baps  -ribba  n»b  "bbnba  Tin  ynroa  KB  bha 
obi  -any  «b  -*o  ■(«  -paopbaa  nam  ob 
obi  "bDar  »b  "pw  -a  D-asn  Dnbn  nayn 
rrb*  rri  Tpi  '"Str  ab  fflia  i»  iancbaa  nfbn 
tfir  cp  bnaa  *r  :nb  nbapi  vnroai  a^bsba 
nbaa*  anism  an±?a  bs*r  i&wbai  yaanpbaa 
D^rebtfi   cnsm  nnb  bsar  cpsi  'D^rebs 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  95 

raabi  pnsi  [nrvrn]  rrrfi  Tpa  arrfo^ 
■tor  saniT  croi  *[wnp  Dip?jn]  p"n  Tnbs&o 
TT  D^nba  "to^i  ty  m:bxi  iH3b»  pbab  mi 
■err  rt'y  ^^w,  araba  bapi  -ma  tti  *n» 

26°. . . .  ^n  intxi  tia 

6.  Anonymous. 

(a)  From  an  Arabic  Commentary  on  Numbers 
(14,  23) ,  published  by  Harkavy  in  DTHD  ~Ctf"3  , 
No.  1,  p.  3. 

:bapi  nspba  sin  hs>  "obnba  *rn  ;ptt  ipi 
■»ar  Drror  -a  auabb  Dcpa  np  ]«s  btw 
■jon?  -fDs  nsttMbg  ;p«b«  sin  omabiab 

260  "In  saying:  'Make  not  thyself  overwise'  after  he  said:  'Be  not 
righteous  overmuch'  (Eccles.  7,  16)  he  meant  that  in  matters  pertaining 
to  the  Scriptures  you  must  not  be  antagonistic  and  ask  why  was  this 
ordained  and  why  was  not  such  and  such  a  function  prescribed,  just  as 
Hiwi  Al-Balkhi,  may  God  curse  him,  did.  He  asked:  'Why  did  God 
demand  sacrifices  unless  he  require  nourishment,  and  why  did  he  demand 
show-bread  unless  he  eat,  and  why  did  he  prescribe  the  lighting  of  candles 
unless  he  be  in  need  of  splendor?'  And  the  wise  men  have  already 
answered  and  rebuked  him,  saying:  O  fool,  how  is  he  to  receive  nourish- 
ment from  the  sacrifices  when  part  of  them  is  consumed  by  fire  and  part 
is  eaten  by  the  priests,  and  how  would  he  eat  the  show-bread  when  it  is 
eaten  by  the  priests,  as  it  is  said:  "And  it  shall  be  for  Aaron  and  his 
sons;  and  they  shall  eat  it  in  a  holy  place"  (Lev.  24, 9),  and  how  can  he 
be  in  need  of  splendor,  when  he  created  the  fire  and  the  light,  as  it  is 
said,  "Let  there  be  light:  and  there  was  light"  (Gen.  1,  3),  and  the 
Prophet  Isaiah,  peace  be  upon  him,  said  "He  forms  the  light  and  creates 
darkness'"  (Isa.  45,  7)." 


96  saadia's  polemic 

arrba  bwba  p  d;toe  "b?  Dcp^  •;»  rea 
■j«  bipDs  ?biaba  rraopi  arB83tt  -jbh  pns 
ob  Dmabiab  ;paba  ann  tip  -jsd  rraop 
W»  nn"2  b-ib  [read  -psbr]  yina  pr 
ysbM  Dip  ^bho  nnb  ocpbs  h2  bbn  abi 

*.  •  •  •  DTOR'Wa 

(b)  From  an  Arabic  Commentary  on  Deuteronomy 

(32>  9)i  published  by  Israelsohn  in  R.E.J., 

XVII,  312.     Comp.  above,  chap,  ii,  sees.  36- 

40,  and  above,  sec.  4,  g. 

picsba  Kin  "s  nbba  rob  -bbnbtf  *m  pal 
-barn  rraa  *bs  St  ifhn  yt  baps  rmwa  seal 
TTT31  in  aaaba  ocnpa  -pbnaiba  baipa  p 
nb  bip;s  ■  orra  rcwi  nn£n  "bian  *05*e2 
Dh  jnrcn  ns-rn  *a  na  n-irocb  nbba  bipD 
cbl  "pinabRl  nt>»bbb»  Dabs  tfn  ■(«  bip3 
■ppSarr  pAa  nbDbx  pnta  p  ynnbaba  p 

261  "And  Hiwi  Al-Balkhi  already  raised  an  objection  against  this 
passage,  saying:  'Since  God  had  already  sworn  to  the  patriarchs  to 
give  their  children  this  particular  land,  how  did  it  become  him  to  swear 
to  prevent  them  from  entering  it  so  that  this  would  be  the  annulment  of 
the  former  oath :  And  we  shall  answer,  that  the  oath  that  he  would  give 
this  land  to  their  children  was  not  specified  for  any  one  generation,  and 
some  distinguished  people  did  not  come  under  this  oath  at  all " 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  97 

nbi  np  nb-iaba  -ab  ■paw  sid^d  -j^i  reran 
abi  nb  n^h  ab  TttH  "bawi  nbba  i«  ^b* 
nahvirroba  rtia  hiria  nba  niki  rwa  "po 
rracap''  pi  neap-'  -pbs  -n^n  ann  ]W  ttos 
■pas  ins  ^wtse&a  bip*  tray  *bae?ra  TObE  "a 
yn^n  "jbnn  DDircbi  on^s  traca  inn:  nn^s  b^p 
ja  onmb  *a  yrtaroybH  rkwrvcr  wi  cftP  ibi 
bap  »ab  -nna  -jbn  bp^  Db  yasnbaba  bsb 
nn  ^b?  anna  Doap^  Wi  -pbn  iraa  ""  ?n 

■nrabaoba 


262  "And  Hiwi  Al-Balkhi,  may  God  curse  him,  spoke  arrogantly  in 
regard  to  this  verse  and  similar  verses  saying,  that  this  shows  that  God, 
may  He  be  exalted  over  the  words  of  fools,  divided  the  nations  between 
him  and  others,  and  that  of  them  these  [the  people  of  Israel]  became  his 
share  and  portion.  And  we  shall  say  to  him  as  God  said  to  Sennacherib 
(Isa.  37,  23):  'Whom  hast  thou  reproached  and  blasphemed?'  Then 
we  shall  say  that  this  is  the  word  of  madness  and  arrogance,  and  none 
of  those  who  have  strayed  from  the  path  of  thought,  though  they  were 
wicked,  hold  to  such  arguments.  For  it  was  already  shown  that  God, 
may  He  be  exalted,  is  one,  there  is  no  second  to  Him  and  no  associate, 
and  that  He  created  all  creatures,  and  if  this  is  so  to  whom  would  He 
give  a  portion  and  who  would  share  with  Him  His  kingdom  ?  (May  He 
be  exalted  above  the  words  of  the  infidels.)  And  he  [Hiwi  Al-Balkhi]  is 
like  one  of  those  of  whom  it  is  said  (Ps.  73,  9):  'They  have  set  their 
mouth  in  the  heavens,  and  their  tongue  walketh  through  the  earth,' 
and  if  he  knew  the  idiom  which  the  Hebrews  employ  in  expressing  selec- 
tion he  would  not  have  said  this.  For  see  when  David  said  (Ps.  16,  5) 
1  The  Lord  is  the  portion  of  mine  inheritance  and  of  my  cup '  did  he  alone 
want  to  share  the  master  of  the  worlds!" 


98  saadia's  polemic 

(c)  From  an  Arabic  Commentary  on  1  Kings 
(7, 13-14),  cited  first  in  Neubauer  and  Cowley, 
Cat.,  No.  2628,  24,  and  translated  by  Poz- 
nanski  in  pan ,  VII,  124. 

■jn "am  'm  i  inpm  nrrn  ....  nbun 

p  nmtt  EttMfi]  mow  hbna3  maps  [in] 

■nan   b"«oa   "s   vn   ypMma   *r*a   are-n 

*rttai* 

eleventh  century 
7.  Joseph  b.  Abraham  Ha-Kohen  Ha-Roeh  Al- 
Basir  (fl.  first  half  of  eleventh  century). 

From  his  tM  mrarna  cited  by  P.  Frankl  in 
Monatsschrift,  187 1,  p.  157.  Comp.  also 
below,  No.  10,  c. 

bnx  rr  s*>p  ab  rt'9  rooa  tb  took*  nba  *arr\ 

man  "ten"  re®  qba  in  nnto  Cjb&p  DipB  n*n 
aw  rm  to  own  -p  nr  aonn  Dipan  m 
mmptin  nba  toed  itr  orn  to  WipB  ba 

263  "And  he   sent  ....  understanding And  it   is   said   in 

Chronicles  (2  Chron.  2,  13)  ...  .  he  is  of  the  tribe  of  Naphtali  and  his 
mother  of  the  daughters  of  Dan.  But  this  is  no  contradiction.  This  is 
found  in  the  questions  of  Hawi  Al-Balkhi." 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  99 

Dipa  rrm  enpen  m  rrr  moa  rrm  aw 

jtrrawn  rm»  vb«  -jim  ffwi 

8.  Anonymous. 

From  i£i/a&  madni  al-nafs,  ed.  Goldziher, 
Berlin,  1907,  p.  16,  11.  20-24.  Comp.  also 
Hebrew  translation  of  Broyde,264  p.  20. 

^bbnba  *wn  *hy  b"T  -paa  tftsq  'n  in  Tpl 
ttoi  tun  nrm  wn  ^Bsi  fcrssnoy  arh 
bsbn  rrb*  t\  nra  *s  nncban  'icnori  gas  tn 
ciraba  antes  arftan  ip  ■po  rraab  ^aoayba 
tub*  nip^  obi  rrbs  nns  rmnba  ypr  8wn 

+1<W9  bsba  "hb« 

twelfth  century 

9.  Moses  ibn  Ezra  (1070-1139). 

From  npTpribati  T&nsba  ^s  npTfiia  nare 

264  In  this  translation  the  words  n"H3!P  and  J"!"1!^  have  been  wrongly 
interchanged.     Comp.  also  Poznanski,  J.Q.R.,  X,  261,  note  3. 

2<ss  "And  R.  Saadia  Gaon  has  already  replied  to  Hiwi  Al-Balkhi  in 
Hebrew  and  he  has  explained  [the  verse],  'And  the  earth  was  waste  and 
void'  (Gen.  1,  2)  ....  as  we  have  mentioned.  And  the  reason  which 
prompted  him  to  answer  in  Hebrew  was  that  Hiwi  was  a  follower  of  the 
Magi  and  he  began  to  undermine  the  Torah,  so  in  answering  him  R. 
Saadia  could  not  make  his  reply  public  in  Arabic." 


IOO  SAADIA  S  POLEMIC 

also  called  —  D'Mn  T\jT\3  .  The  following 
extract  in  a  Hebrew  translation  is  given  by 
Harkavy  in  D^IZT  D3  D'Wn ,  VII,  33. 

nm  nm^a  nnr  to  bscn  DTra  nrei 
n^pDis  nn  ra  (JTora  D'rawan)  irnaaan 
■prr  ab  icanis  tas  irvrab  mass  ■«  w  b* 
obia  2  war  dtjhizj  prp  abi  mp  nwr\w  nb 
■tt»b  DipE  pi  abn  tmk  *nbn  "won  dm 
n:rra  win  nan  Tram  bsnir  Turo  wtw 
man  n«  rrra^  'nb  rfrbn  *d  -mraann  p 
■^bnba  *rn  trwon  ran  kti  nan  -nab 

jncramri  mp»o  pari 

10.  Abraham  ibn  Ezra  ( 1088- 1 167). 

(a)  From  his  longer  Commentary  on  Genesis  (1,1) 
and  from  his  shorter  Commentary  on  Exodus 
(23,  20).    See  above,  No.  4,  a. 

(b)  From  his  longer  Commentary  on  Gen.  3,  9, 
ed.  M.  Friedlaender,  p.  39.  Comp.  also 
above,  No.  1,  b. 

266  The  existence  of  this  work  was  until  now  known  only  through  an 
extract  from  the  Hebrew  translation  bearing  this  title  (comp.  "JfE, 


AGAINST   HIWI  AL-BALKHI  IOI 

rtsm  "bib  "WW)  ^iton  "Wl  rttoab  ipnmzr 

icns  -fp  id  n^n  abm  asm  rm  ab  d-jk 

man  men  pi  *^n«  W  bip  ib  n^a  oirm 

267  :w  ynnsb  m«  *:n  -piste 

(c)     From   his    Commentary   on   Exod.    14,   27. 
Comp.  also  above,  No.  7. 

3>t  rroa  ■s  tomb  ^nbsn  Ti  m&»  ipnnizr 

iMEm  irv)b»  mtn  rw  irmn  D^n  tra»  na 

?otbi  idseed  d*wi  Disaa  w  two  aim 

*»:»&  p  bs  dvi  mm  rr  ab 

(d)  JM&,  16,  13.    Comp.  above,  No.  4,  c. 

■piobn  snpn  ain  pn  "S  TOHtB  T  did  npT 
:  we  T?b  yrabnn  fa  rptp  fratoi  •  733m  vis 


II,  117  e£  seg.)-  Harkavy  discovered  a  fragment  of  the  original  Arabic 
and  has  found  that  the  Hebrew  title  originated  with  the  author  himself 
and  not  with  the  translator  (D^TIT  D3  D'WlTl,  VII,  32). 

a67Poznanski  QIDiH ,  VII,  118)  justly  remarked  that  by  aid  of  this 
passage  we  get  the  real  meaning  of  Ibn  Ezra's  words  in  the  shorter  com- 
mentary to  this  verse,  viz.:    i«   pi   "D'nmn   ]innS   PD"**  DTD 

■pn*  ^t  bnp  dot  nb  r>Em  ^p  wra  nam  "rn»  bnn 

.  Dip*ns 

268  Samuel  ibn  Zarza  (D",'in  l^pTQ ,  Mantua,  1559,  fol.  39c)  quotes 
this  remark  of  Ibn  Ezra  but  misquotes  the  surname  of  Hiwi:    "J  !inD1 

.  "iDi  -vaatD  oarraa  "bmn  irn  nToaa?  "ipnnur  intP 


102  SAADIA  S   POLEMIC 

(e)  Ibid.,  34,  29. 

aba  toss  ^  "R3OT  wan  *«n  Was*  ipnna^ 

D7dt  ppn  tea  roazr  na7j  ^s  ma  nnb  bss 

:n*nrao  rss  ma  raw  m 

11.  Abraham  ibn  Daud  (1110-1180). 

From  Snbnpn  ISO ,  ed.  Neubauer,  p.  66. 

ma  '3  pa  «vn  aarri  roan  rrro  nn  naso 
nmo  rtaa  nana  nnab  rrrtnan  man  p 
nham  banarb  tYibna  wcno  nan  pww 
nnai  -rmnn  D-naian  bn  crran  b*  mman 
r*rn  'flTiti  mb:j  mn  "tafc  "nbaba  *in  Drta 
D^?jb/j  nipirn  naba  nan  »*rra  rriyo  m 
^on^Di  rroo  nn  &a« 13  mmbni  tr**pa  nma 

FOURTEENTH  CENTURY 

12.  Samuel  ibn  Zarza  (fl.  second  half  of  fourteenth 

century).    See  above,  No.  10,  c,  note  268. 

fifteenth  century 

13.  Simon  b.  Zemah  Duran  (1361-1444). 

From  mitf  ]"/2  Leghorn,  1785,  fol.  31a. 

26*  This  passage  is  copied  by  David  Conforte  (nWHtl  &$")1p ,  ed. 
Cassel,  Berlin,  1846,  fol.  4a)  with  the  older  reading  of  "ObD  bfcTian . 


AGAINST  HIWI  AL-BALKHI  I03 

^nabs  ba  wti  n^n  pio  rrm  "i  "jra 
mpnmi  nm«  D*taba  rm  -rrfln  tabia  rrmo 

14.  Saadia  b.  Maimon  ibn  Danan  (fl.  second  half 
of  fifteenth  century). 

(a)  From  DX15»n    TO    nbtftt  in  Edelman,  misn 
riTTO ,  1856,  16a. 

n^m  b?  taion  mn  rro*  nns  D^mn  wotwi 

arwon  ymri  ynsai  prti  brai  mra  nibnpE 

p^nir]  txd  "absn  *rn  nra  tibo  mm  y^ai 

27ir2sb  bi  oia^n  rvrrra  [mow 

(ft)  From  Wnmn  -Ho  b?  "BMIta ,  #«.,  28ft. 

d^w  omm  rain  d^bc  tan  G-rrc  arfl  iwn 
"bnnn  rahcm  nmam  by\  imp  ^bo  »t*i 
'o^npn  Jsn  trran  bs  awnfi  t»  "]iicbn 
iprnir]  tot  "aten  Tn  •■mai  mnsa  rraiwi 

a?°  This  reads  like  a  copy  from  the  Chronicle  of  Ibn  Daud,  though 
the  latter  has  not  the  words  "pfctt  rTH?0  '"I  lE'DI . 

v*We  should  perhaps  read  ^m   TQfcbl    V'T   Dntnn    nifTO 

.isbnn  ^m 

a720n  this  word  Harkavy  remarked  (JTH2WD    31   "JVIDT,  p.  147, 
note  1),  mM  *6bn  KfWnjb  nba  B^Din,  but  we  see  that  Simon 


104  SAADIA  S  POLEMIC 

rmn  mm  htm  [qicM]  tudixd  2n[vn)my 
rmn  iaSa  rmi  'n  rrnro  rami  i«wa 
qioibs  th  »in  -pirn  mm  *raa  rain 
bi  rrro  troi  tsppi  ""rm  bna  eppaeri 

bion  -jbaba  "nso  nipirn  noba  tvmm 
Crmaw  nprrar]  s'izr  "atari  *rn  min  onabsa 
D^bsnn  n»  Tom  rpb&u  pinna  bi  ph*d  trtm 

tyro  -p  rnwwrarn 

seventeenth  century 
15.  David  Conforte  (1618-1675). 

Comp.  above,  No.  11,  note  270. 


Duran  also  wrote  WH  rtTI  "p*W  mro  "1  ^Tl  (above,  sec.  13). 
It  is  therefore  likely  that  both  Duran  and  Ibn  Danan  had  some  other 
source  than  the  Chronicle  of  Ibn  Daud. 

373  Harkavy  (ibid.)  unnecessarily  corrects  the  abbreviation  as  follows: 
man  mtD  rWl  ntr  bT*.  His  substitution  of  DEDT0  for  71D11D 
is  borne  out  by  the  Talmudic  phrase  HX  WIITI  rPOffi  DttTIDTD  b'P 
bX*YB',  (b.  Sanhedrin  43a,  comp.  Dikduke  Sopherim,  ad  loc). 

*74l  have  already  explained  this  phrase  to  mean  that  Hiwi  was  a 
follower  of  the  Magi,  not  that  he  was  an  enchanter. 


JEWISH  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  OF 
AMERICA  TEXTS  AND  STUDIES 

Vol.  I— II.  Geonica.  By  Louis  Ginzberg. 
1909:  I,  "The  Geonim  and  Their 
Halakic  Writings";  II,  "Genizah 
Studies,"  8°,  xii+210+425  p.  $3 .00 

Vol.  III.  Yerushalmi  Fragments  from  the 
Genizah.  Edited  by  Louis  Ginz- 
berg. Vol.  I,  "Text  with  Various 
Readings  from  the  Editio  Prin- 
ceps,"  1909,4°,  vi+[i]+372+ix  p.     5.00 

Vol.     IV.   Sepher   Shaashuim.     A    Book   of 

r    Mediaeval  Lore.    By  Joseph  Ben 

Meir    Ibn    Zabara.      Edited    by 

Israel  Davidson,  Ph.D.,  19 14,  8°, 

cxxix+[6]+i97+vii  p.  2 .00 

Vol.  V.  Saadia's  Polemic  against  Hiwi  Al- 
Balkhi.  By  Israel  Davidson. 
191 5,  8°,  104  p.  1. 00 


SOLD   BY 

BLOCH  PUBLISHING  CO.,  New  York 
M.  POPPELAUER,  Berlin 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

RENEWALS  ONLY— TEL.  NO.  642-3405 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


Due  end 


_ — | 


— 

10     APR 


APR  19'71   70 


*i&m 


K&nMled  bn  phone 


$GH 


77    lr    tifeRV^r<E\ 


1^ 


fi£CPLD    Vmzi'il  -5PM  3  l    ■ 


a [j^IERk 


UNIV. 


my 


BERK. 

81970 


Returned  by 


m  3 1  iy/8 1  b 


APR  25  19/b 


KG.  CIK. 


(N5382sl0)476-A-32 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


347810 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


